What is the main purpose of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act?

The main purpose of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is to manage hazardous waste effectively. RCRA establishes a framework for the proper management of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste, focusing particularly on the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste.

It aims to ensure that hazardous waste is handled in a way that protects human health and the environment. This includes setting standards for waste treatment and disposal facilities, as well as enforcing regulations that require proper waste management practices among generators of hazardous waste.

While the other answer choices relate to important environmental regulations and initiatives—such as protecting water quality, regulating air emissions, and overseeing recycling—they do not encapsulate the core focus of RCRA as it specifically targets the management practices surrounding hazardous waste. Thus, the emphasis of the RCRA is on the lifecycle of hazardous waste rather than broader environmental or recycling efforts.