3.1 INTRODUCTION

Since the 1960s the level of sophistication of solid waste management laws has grown significantly. Requirements on where disposal and processing facilities can be located, how they must be constructed, and how they are to be operated are becoming increasingly stringent. Beyond placing restrictions on the actual facilities, state solid waste management legislation has also mandated that municipalities and counties start planning for the proper disposal of their solid waste.

Following the lead set by the 1976 Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), states began to see municipal solid waste in a broader context. Rather than just viewing what is thrown away as waste to be disposed of, it has increasingly been recognized that waste contains resources that can be utilized if they are put back into the economy. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the principal direction of this trend was toward waste-to-energy projects. However, the passage of Oregon s Opportunity to Recycle legislation in 1983 ushered in an era of waste reduction legislation that focuses on recycling, composting, and source reduction.

With the majority of state waste reduction goals set by the early 1990s, the latter part of the decade proved to be a time for states to evaluate the effectiveness of their waste management programs and to adjust their expectations based on an evaluation of their progress. For example, some states increased their recycling goals in light of the success of their recycling programs. After New Jersey reached its goal...