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Around Your Community
Citizens in every community—including schools, businesses, and local governments—must work together to reduce and better manage our waste. Each of us can do our part.
The resources below will allow you to better understand solid and hazardous waste issues at the local level, and help you improve your community. Together, we can make a difference!
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Community Programs
Working Together for a Healthy Environment: A Guide for Multi-Cultural Community Groups (PDF) (32 pp, 8.9MB)
Designed to help community leaders and activists plan and execute community events that promote the 3Rs of solid waste management: reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Waste
Prevention, Recycling, and Composting Options: Lessons from 30 Communities (PDF) (11 pp, 674K)
Analyzes the actual operating experience of 30 diverse communities
some with high materials recovery rates, and others with model waste
reduction initiatives. Draws lessons for communities wanting to
strengthen their own programs.
Recycling
Works! State and Local Solutions to Solid Waste Management Problems (PDF) (52 pp, 2.1MB)
Examines the economic and environmental necessity for recovering,
reusing, and recycling materials from municipal solid waste. Provides
examples of successful recycling programs.
How
to Set Up a Local Program to Recycle Used Oil (PDF) (38 pp, 747K)
Explains the organization, design, implementation, and promotion
of a used oil program. Also describes administrative issues. Appendices
include sample brochures and letters.
Household
Hazardous Waste Management: A Manual for One-Day Community Collection
Programs (PDF) (3 pp, 358K)
Helps communities plan for one-day, household hazardous waste (HHW) drop-off/collection
programs. Provides community leaders with guidance on all aspects of planning,
organizing, and publicizing a HHW collection program.
How
to Start or Expand a Recycling Collection Program (PDF) (4 pp, 60K)
Provides basic information on establishing recycling collection programs
in any setting, however, focuses on collection in offices. Discusses what
materials are recyclable, starting a collection program, finding a market,
information needed to sell collected materials, collecting and storing
recyclables, educating and motivating employees, and monitoring and evaluating
the collection program.
Pay-As-You-Throw:
Throw Away Less and Save
Defines pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) programs that charge households for waste
collection based on the amount of trash they throw away. Discusses the
benefits of, and potential barriers to, PAYT programs.
Rural Communities
Joining
Forces on Solid Waste Management: Regionalization Is Working in Rural
and Small Communities
Presents an introduction to regionalization—the process whereby neighboring
cities, towns, and counties pool resources to address local municipal
solid waste challenges.
Tribal Communities
Recycling
Guide for Native American Nations
Provides useful information for tribes interested in developing recycling
programs. Topics include setting up a recycling program (e.g., collecting
materials, staffing, educating the community, and reducing waste), creating
recycling jobs, and buying recycled products.
Waste
Management in Indian Country
Provides information on tribal waste programs from municipal solid waste
and hazardous waste, to construction and demolition debris and industrial
waste (including mining waste and military munitions waste). Also provides
information on how to open a new landfill or transfer station and clean
up old dump sites.
Schools
Reuse + Recycling
= Waste Reduction: A Guide for Schools and Groups (PDF) (32 pp, 676K) | en
Español (PDF) (32 pp, 6.8MB)
Describes various waste reduction options for schools and school-related
groups such as Girl and Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, 4-H, or Future
Farmers. Provides information on how to conduct a reuse or recycling drive,
develop a waste reduction program, receive credit accounts at local recycling/material
collection centers, and more.
Wastes:
Tips for a Waste-Less School Year
Provides information on using recycled-content products and reusing supplies
to save money and reduce waste.
Small Businesses
Managing
Your Hazardous Waste: A Guide for Small Businesses (PDF) (4 pp, 1.2MB)
Provides an overview to help small business owners and operators
understand how best to comply with federal hazardous waste management
regulations. Defines the three categories of hazardous waste generators:
small, large, and conditionally exempt. Assists small quantity generators
in determining if federal regulations apply. For additional information,
see the Hazardous
Waste Code Table (PDF) (1 pg, 68K). Also available en
Español (PDF). (1 pg, 69K)
Recycling
Means Business (PDF) (20 pp, 1.7MB)
Discusses barriers that must be addressed in shifting to an environmentally
responsible manufacturing economy that conserves natural resources,
energy, and disposal capacity.
Managing
Used Oil: Advice for Small Businesses
Summarizes EPA's used oil management standards for businesses such
as service stations, fleet maintenance facilities, and "quick
lube" shops that generate and handle used oil. Explains standards
businesses should observe when handling used oil and oil filters.
Recommends cleanup practices.
You
Dump It, You Drink It Campaign
Focuses on the proper management of used motor oil and includes a variety
of free, printed information materials that are available in both Spanish
and English. The materials were developed over a 12-month period, using
information collected during a series of focus groups, one-on-one telephone
interviews, and on-the-job observations of employees in major Hispanic
population centers.
Composting
Composting
Discusses what composting is, what compost can be used for, and other
related topics.
Food Recovery
Donating
Surplus Food to the Needy (PDF) (4 pp, 121K)Addresses the donation of surplus food as part of a waste reduction program. Discusses traditional food banks; prepared and perishable food programs; food program services; donor responsibilities; and common concerns.
Don't
Throw Away That Food: Strategies for Record-Setting Waste Reduction
Provides case studies from several communities for recovery of food discards.
Putting Surplus Food to Good Use: A How-To Guide for Food Service Providers (PDF) (2 pp, 1.1MB)
Waste
Not/Want Not: A Guide for Feeding the Hungry Through Food Recovery
Explains how any state or municipality, as well as any private business
that deals with food, can reduce its solid waste by facilitating the donation
of wholesome surplus food according to the food hierarchy. Also lists
ways you can join the growing food recovery movement, and provides a framework
to help you protect the environment while making a difference in the daily
lives and futures of hungry families across our nation.
Recycling
Recycling
Provides an overview of the recycling process and information on recycling
facts and figures. Also provides information on opportunities for businesses,
local businesses, and individual citizens to recycle.
Measuring
Recycling: A Guide for State and Local Governments (PDF) (164 pp, 2.4MB)
Provides information to help state and local agencies measure municipal
solid waste (MSW) recycling. Includes instructions, definitions, case
studies, tips, forms, and worksheets to help calculate an MSW recycling
rate. Information is also provided to help track broad categories of recycled
materials and commodity-specific categories, if desired.
Puzzled
About Recycling's Value? Look Beyond the Bin (PDF) (16 pp, 800K)
Educates municipal solid waste managers, state solid waste officials,
elected officials, and the waste management industry about the benefits
of recycling.
Waste Prevention
Waste
Prevention
Defines waste prevention. Lists benefits of and approaches to waste prevention.
Spotlight
on Waste Prevention: EPA's Program to Reduce Solid Waste at the Source (PDF) (20 pp, 395K)
Describes EPA's initiative to reduce municipal solid waste. Focuses on
examples of how source reduction efforts benefit business and industry,
governments, and consumers. Also details EPA's efforts in helping prevent
waste.
Landfills
MSW
Disposal: Landfilling
Provides an overview of the federal landfill standards, as well as
information on landfill air emissions regulations and EPA's Landfill Methane
Outreach Program (LMOP).
Safer
Disposal for Solid Waste: The Federal Regulations for Landfills
Summarizes the federal regulations covering landfill location, operation,
design, groundwater monitoring and corrective action, closure and post-closure
care, and financial assurance.
Public Participation/Citizen Action
Enhancing
Facility-Community Relations: Strengthening the Bridge Between Hazardous
Waste Facilities and Their Neighbors (PDF) (7 pp, 186K)
Provides suggestions for how a facility can improve the community's
well-being, enhance dialogue with the community, assure communities
that it hears and will address their concerns, and ways the facility
can continually enrich and improve the community's quality of life.
RCRA
Expanded Public Participation Rule | en
Español
Describes EPA's expanded public participation rule to empower communities
to become more actively involved in local hazardous waste management
by involving the public earlier in the permitting process; providing
more opportunities for public participation; expanding public access
to information; and offering guidance on how facilities can improve
public participation.
Sensitive
Environments and the Siting of Hazardous Waste (PDF) (12 pp, 66K) | en
Español (PDF) (13 pp, 66K)
Discusses sensitive types of environments that pose special challenges
to the siting, expansion, and operation of RCRA hazardous waste management
facilities. Defines floodplains, wetlands, ground water, earthquake zones,
karst soils, unstable terrain, unfavorable weather locations, and incompatible
land use.
Sites
for Our Solid Waste: A Guidebook for Effective Public Involvement (PDF) (5 pp, 45K)
Provides information for public officials, citizens, and industry professionals
to help them find waste sites that are both technically sound and socially
acceptable. Encourages public involvement.
Social
Aspects of Siting Hazardous Waste Facilities (PDF) (16 pp, 7.4MV)
Addresses the interaction of industries and government agencies with communities
when hazardous waste facilities are sited.
Community Service/Volunteering
Environmental Protection Begins with You: A Guide to Environmental Community Service (PDF) (24 pp, 517K)
This booklet is the second volume containing examples of volunteer projects related to solid waste management, including recycling, reuse, compost, and household hazardous waste. Other examples are contained in Volunteer for Change: A Guide to Environmental Community Service below.
Service-Learning:
Education Beyond the Classroom (PDF) (32 pp, 942)
Describes how students across the country are gaining hands-on awareness
of waste reduction, recycling, and composting through solid waste service-learning
projects. Service-learning, an educational experience that combines knowledge
with service and personal reflection, is teaching kindergarten through
12th grade students various aspects of safe solid waste management, such
as reducing household hazardous waste and buying recycled-content products.
Volunteer
for Change: A Guide to Environmental Community Service (PDF) (24 pp, 571K)| en
Español (PDF) (23 pp, 576K)
Contains examples of volunteer projects related to solid waste management,
including reuse, recycling, composting, and household hazardous waste
projects.
Green Advertising
Green
Advertising Claims (PDF) (6 pp, 1.1MB)
Helps consumers decide about the environmental claims of products. Cautions
against vague claims, claims of biodegradability, and claims that products
are ozone-friendly.
Green Event Planning
It's
Easy Being Green: A Guide to Planning and Conducting Environmentally Aware
Meetings and Events
Provides an outline to assist professionals in planning environmentally
aware events such as meetings, workshops, festivals, picnics, and sporting
events. Includes profiles of successful events that have been held, and
step by step procedures for coordinating events using a planning checklist.
Municipal Solid Waste
Planning
for Disaster Debris
Describes the steps a community can take to prepare for managing the waste
created by natural disasters and to speed recovery after such disasters.
Discusses ways communities can reduce the burden on their municipal solid
waste management systems in the event of a natural disaster. Presents
federal, state, and local resources available to help.
Reduce,
Reuse, Recycle
Describes the "3 Rs" to eliminate waste—reduce the amount
and toxicity of trash you discard; reuse containers and products; repair
what is broken or give it to someone who can repair it; and recycle as
much as possible (including buying products with recycled content).
Reporting
on Municipal Solid Waste: A Local Issue
Presents background information to assist print and broadcast media in
understanding municipal solid waste (MSW) issues. Examines the role of
federal, state, and local governments in MSW management; options for solid
waste management (source reduction, recycling, incineration, and landfilling);
and regulations for solid waste landfills.
Hazardous Waste
Managing
Hazardous Waste in Your Community
Provides education and outreach about EPA's hazardous waste management
program under RCRA. Includes a basic overview of EPA's hazardous waste
regulations and information about state hazardous waste contacts.
RCRA
in Focus: Photo Processing (PDF) (20 pp, 679K)
Provides an overview of the federal regulations that members of the photo
processing industry are required to follow. Also lists the photo processing
industry wastes that are likely to be hazardous.
RCRA
in Focus: Dry Cleaning (PDF) (20 pp, 548K)
Provides an overview of the federal regulations that members of the dry
cleaning industry are required to follow. Also lists the dry cleaning
process wastes that are likely to be hazardous.
RCRA
in Focus: Printing (PDF) (15 pp, 245K)
Provides an overview of the federal regulations that members of the printing
industry (including printers, lithographers, and flexographers) are required
to follow. Also lists the printing process wastes that are likely to be
hazardous.
Universal Waste
Universal
Waste
Describes the universal waste regulations, provides guidance on recycling
universal wastes, and frequently asked questions about technical issues
related to universal waste.
Beneficial Uses for Wastes
Environmental
Fact Sheet: Waste-Derived Fertilizers (PDF) (3 pp, 12K)
Addresses concerns raised in the American Pacific Northwest regarding
waste-derived fertilizers. Reviews current uses of hazardous waste in
fertilizers; summarizes current federal and state regulations on hazardous
waste used in fertilizers; and discusses current actions being taken by
EPA.
Environmental
Fact Sheet: Regulations to be Re (2 pp, 18K)
Discusses EPA's proposal to modify existing regulations for zinc 
fertilizers
made from recycled industrial wastes. The provisions are expected to improve
and increase legitimate zinc recycling, and reduce contaminant levels
in these types of fertilizers.
Resource
Conservation Challenge
Describes EPA's national effort to find flexible, yet more protective
ways to conserve resources through waste reduction and energy recovery
activities, including beneficial uses for wastes.
Other Resources
A Collection
of Solid Waste Resources on CD-ROM
Contains numerous publications developed by the EPA's Office of Solid
Waste. Contains approximately 300 publications, in addition to games and
activities for kids.
RCRA:
Reducing Risk from Waste || en
Español (PDF) (48 pp, 1.9MB)
Provides a brief overview of the national RCRA program and the role of
the states. Defines RCRA hazardous waste and how the RCRA regulations
apply to generators, transporters, and TSDFs. Also describes the waste
minimization program and addresses municipal and industrial solid waste.
Contains a section on other environmental laws related to hazardous substances.
Includes a glossary and guide to the RCRA section of the Code of Federal
Regulations.
