Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965

The second industrial revolution of the late 19th and early 20th centuries led to major increases in the national economic output, resulting in large increases in the generation of waste. Local and regional governments and private companies developed many diverse, and frequently unsafe or unsanitary, disposal technologies for disposal of this waste. The most frequent disposal method used was open dumps and burning of trash. As the germ theory of disease developed in the late 19th and early 20th century, this led to increased attention of waste disposal as a public health crisis in the United States. Due to increasing demand for better waste management during the 1960s, Congress passed the SWDA in 1965. ==Overview==

The goal of SWDA was to reduce waste and protect human and environmental health by decreasing pollution and promoting better municipal waste disposal technology. It dictates disposal of copious amounts of both municipal and industrial waste. It also defines solid waste as a local responsibility, promotes the advancement of waste management technology and declares waste management standards. ==Amendments==

Resource Recovery Act The Resource Recovery Act of 1970 (RRA) was the first amendment to the SWDA. The amendment called for increased government involvement in waste management, incited reduction of waste as well as recycling technology, and introduced criteria for disposal of hazardous waste. Congress stated that the United States was continuing to increase the amount of both hazardous and non-hazardous waste being produced and declared that in order to maintain safety and the quality of life expected across the country, new waste management practices were needed. The law banned the continued operation of unsafe landfills, and discusses the implications of hazardous waste, recycling, and renewable energy. RCRA mandates that the federal government assist local communities in managing their wastes, declares that hazardous waste must be properly managed, and calls for research into better waste management practices. This amendment was in response to a 1992 Supreme Court ruling in Department of Energy v. Ohio. ==Whistleblower protection==

SWDA explicitly states that a person cannot be retaliated against because they acted as an informant to the EPA. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines retaliation as: loss of employment, blacklisting, demotion, denying overtime, benefits, or promotion, discipline, failure to hire or rehire, intimidation, threatening, reassignment which affects promotion prospects, reduction of pay or shifts. The whistleblower clause excludes employees who violate the law without being directed to do so by the company. ==References==