Federal and State Laws on Hazardous Waste

This activity familiarizes students with legislation on hazardous waste, how it is developed, enacted, implemented, and enforced in the United States. Students discover that hazardous waste comes from a variety of sources, from both present and past activities. They also learn that years ago, before we understood the dangers of hazardous waste, there were no laws controlling its disposal and many businesses simply threw out their hazardous waste with the rest of their trash, into landfills, rivers or lakes. Congress created the Superfund Program to investigate and clean up hazardous waste sites nationwide. Students gain an understanding of how hazardous waste cleanup laws are enacted and intended to function by creating a statute and set of regulations that parallel the issues covered by Superfund. Educational levels: High school, Middle school