The EPA Universal Waste standards were promulgated to work with which environmental law?

• A. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
• B. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
• C. Clean Water Act
• D. Clean Air Act

Answer: (B)

Universal Waste standards are part of the hazardous waste management framework under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. RCRA gives EPA authority to regulate hazardous wastes from generation to disposal, and the universal waste rules streamline handling for common wastes like batteries, pesticides, lamps, and mercury-containing equipment. This simplification reduces regulatory burden while keeping safeguards for proper collection, storage, labeling, packaging, and transport to recycling or disposal, which helps prevent improper disposal. The other laws focus on different environmental concerns—CERCLA (Superfund) on cleaning up contaminated sites, the Clean Water Act on discharges to water, and the Clean Air Act on air emissions—so they do not establish the universal waste program.