What is the function of cradle-to-cradle responsibility laws? They require companies to take back their products for recycling or remanufacturing. Why is it preferable to refuse, reduce, and reuse rather than improve methods of waste disposal? These approaches reduce the amount of waste produced, reducing the need for disposal.
What is meant by the term “cradle to grave responsibility”?
Cradle to Grave responsibility has been used to describe the fact that any person that generates a waste material that is classified, as a hazardous substance is responsible for that waste from the time it is generated...
What is the function of Cradle-to-cradle responsibility laws?
What is the function of cradle-to-cradle responsibility laws? They require companies to take back their products for recycling or remanufacturing. Why is it preferable to refuse, reduce, and reuse rather than improve methods of waste disposal?
What is the purpose of the cradle to cradle?
Defining Cradle to Cradle. This is the goal of the cradle to cradle approach: creating a cyclical process instead of a linear one like the cradle to grave approach. The main objective of the cradle to grave approach is to decrease waste. The cradle to cradle approach goes a step further and attempts to eliminate waste altogether.
What are waste products in Cradle to cradle process?
According to McDonough and Braungart, in a cradle to cradle process, waste products are basically nutrients for another process. Two types of nutrients are: A biological nutrient is any waste that can be reabsorbed into nature like food, material, or other biodegradable products.
What is the purpose of the RCRA?
(1976) The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) gives EPA the authority to control hazardous waste from cradle to grave. This includes the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. RCRA also set forth a framework for the management of non-hazardous solid wastes.
What is the main goal of RCRA and how does it attempt to accomplish this?
The main goal of RCRA is to protect human health and the natural environment by reducing or eliminating the generation of hazardous waste.
What is cradle to grave responsibility?
Cradle to Grave responsibility has been used to describe the fact that any person that generates a waste material that is classified, as a hazardous substance is responsible for that waste from the time it is generated until pretty much the end of time.
What does cradle to grave mean in waste management?
First things first, “cradle to grave” states that a hazardous waste generator is responsible for its waste from initial generation through its ultimate disposal and beyond. Nothing will relinquish a generator of this responsibility.
How does RCRA impact our community?
The cradle-to-grave hazardous waste management regulations affect waste generators, as well as transporters and recycling, treatment, storage, and disposal facilities (TSDFs). The RCRA program tracks hazardous waste from facilities across the nation and protects communities by ensuring that it is managed properly.
Why was the RCRA created?
RCRA was signed into law on October 21, 1976 to address the increasing problems the nation faced from our growing volume of municipal and industrial waste. RCRA was an amendment to the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965, which was the first statute that specifically focused on improving solid waste disposal methods.
What is the meaning of cradle to cradle?
Cradle to cradle can be defined as the design and production of products of all types in such a way that at the end of their life, they can be truly recycled (upcycled), imitating nature's cycle with everything either recycled or returned to the earth, directly or indirectly through food, as a completely safe, nontoxic ...
What is the difference between cradle to grave vs Cradle to Cradle?
William McDonough: Cradle-to-cradle is the creation and qualification of a circular economy. It's a way of designing and producing that honours all future generations by designing and manufacturing for next use, instead of end of life. So rather than cradle-to-grave, which is a take, make, waste system.
What is a grave responsibility?
Meaning of word grave responsibility in English - English Dictionary. weighty burden or charge, serious obligation, important responsibility.
Why do RPs get pulled in?
Most RPs are pulled in because they generated hazardous waste and sent it to the site so, their interests are similar among one another. This group may then hire one lawyer to represent their common interests. For most of the issues being addressed by the government, a common group lawyer is a cost effective approach.
What is a cradle to grave?
Cradle to Grave responsibility has been used to describe the fact that any person that generates a waste material that is classified, as a hazardous substance is responsible for that waste from the time it is generated until pretty much the end of time. The Cradle to Grave system is a provision with legislation known as the Resource, Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) which passed in 1976 and focuses to a large degree on the management of hazardous waste. There is no time limit or expiration date that will release a generator from this long-term management responsibility. This is why the management of hazardous substances is termed Long-Tail Liability.
What is joint and several liability?
Joint and several liability means that any one RP is legally obligated to pay for any or all of the response costs incurred to address the environmental conditions. Practically speaking the cleanup costs are generally allocated by the volume of waste that each business (or individual) sent to the site.
What does "remediation" mean in a lawsuit?
It may mean that a phase of remediation (soil cleanup, groundwater cleanup, etc.) is taken on by a group of RPs. It could even mean that you stay in the lawsuit with the hopes that other RPs are found and your allocation goes down. Such decisions are difficult to stomach and difficult to make because they are costly.
Where is the dry cleaner cleanup facility?
One of the cleanup sites was a facility in northern California, licensed by the State to treat, store and dispose of hazardous waste, including the waste generated by dry cleaners (still bottoms and spent filters).
What happens when a business does not fund environmental cleanup?
When the business does not fund the environmental cleanup, the Federal or State government either cleans the site up, looks to other responsible parties to reimburse those costs, or it gives the responsible party a chance to come up with its own cleanup approach.
What can a trusted lawyer do?
A trusted lawyer can help you navigate the initial findings and discussions with the government, but there will be many aspects of this type of lawsuit that can be managed by a smart businessperson. Often times the responsible parties will form a group and pool together to address the government’s lawsuit collectively.