RCRA Solid Wastes

The federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulates hazardous wastes from "cradle to grave." However, RCRA's regulatory provisions apply only to "solid wastes."

This short lesson explores the definition of "solid waste" for RCRA purposes. The lesson does not require any prior knowledge of RCRA, but it can also serve as a review of RCRA's primary trigger after that topic has been covered in an Environmental Law or Hazardous Waste course.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the lesson, the student will be able to:

1. Analyze the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) definition of "solid wastes" as discarded materials.
2. Explain why solid or dissolved material in domestic sewage are exempt from RCRA regulation.
3. Discuss the relationship between RCRA "solid wastes" and recycling.