Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Tools and Resources
EPA provides states, local agencies and the regulated community with information, guidance, policy and regulations through workshops and publications to help them make better decisions in dealing with waste issues. These resources also help to reap the environmental and economic benefits of source reduction and recycling of solid wastes, and to enforce upgrading or closure of all environmentally unsound disposal units.
On this page:
- RCRA Orientation Manual
- RCRA Training Modules
- RCRA Online
- RCRA In Focus (RIF)
- RCRA Critical Mission and the Path Forward
- RCRA Docket
- Regulations.gov
- Sustainable Materials Management: The Road Ahead
RCRA Orientation Manual provides introductory information on the solid and hazardous waste management programs under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Designed for EPA and state staff, members of the regulated community, and the general public who wish to better understand RCRA, this document constitutes a review of the RCRA program and is not a substitute for RCRA or its implementing regulations.
RCRA Training Modules provide overviews of specific RCRA regulatory topics, for example, corrective action, exclusions, financial assurance, and permits. Two modules in particular provide a statutory overview of RCRA and an overview of other laws that interface with RCRA.
RCRA Online is an electronic database that indexes thousands of letters, memoranda, publications, and questions and answers issued by EPA. These documents include EPA interpretations of the RCRA regulations governing the management of solid, hazardous, and medical waste. RCRA Online allows users to locate documents through topical, full text, and advanced search functions. RCRA Online also allows users to view the actual text of the documents identified in a search.
RCRA in Focus (RIF) is a series of publications providing overviews of the RCRA regulations affecting specific industry sectors. Intended as a guide for small businesses, RIF presents the life cycle of a typical waste for each industry and focuses on recycling and pollution prevention options. Each issue contains a hazardous waste table of RCRA requirements for small businesses and answers frequently asked questions.
RCRA: Critical Mission & the Path Forward highlights the critical role the RCRA program continues to play in protecting communities, restoring land and conserving resources across the nation.
The RCRA docket provides users with all the materials critical to each stage in the development of a rule, such as Federal Register notices and technical documents and public comments received on proposed rules.
Regulations.gov – the government-wide centralized docket management system – allows users to search the Agency’s rulemaking dockets online, view the indices, and access those materials that are available online. Users may also submit comments online when a docket is open for public comment.
Sustainable Materials Management: The Road Ahead is a discussion paper developed jointly by EPA and state environmental agencies to open and inspire discussion on the future for the RCRA program during the next 20 years. It identifies a number of trends that could affect the future of waste and materials management, resource conservation, and human and environmental health, and suggests general strategies and tools that might be used to build a new vision for the future of the RCRA program.