42 U.S.C. § 13101 — Findings and policy

(a) Findings: Congress found that: the U.S. produces millions of tons of pollution each year and spends tens of billions of dollars controlling it; industry has real chances to cut or prevent pollution at its source through cost-effective changes to production, operations, and raw materials — changes that can save money on materials, pollution control, and liability, while protecting the environment and worker health and safety; these source-reduction chances often go unused because current regulations (and the resources businesses spend complying with them) focus on treatment and disposal rather than prevention, don't emphasize managing pollution across all types together, and businesses lack the information and technical help to overcome barriers to adopting source reduction; source reduction is fundamentally different from, and better than, waste management and pollution control, and the EPA needs to fix its historical lack of focus on it; and, as a first step, the EPA must set up a source reduction program that gathers and shares information, gives states financial help, and carries out the other activities this chapter requires. (b) Policy: It is now U.S. national policy that pollution should be prevented or reduced at the source whenever possible; pollution that can't be prevented should be recycled safely whenever possible; pollution that can't be prevented or recycled should be treated safely whenever possible; and releasing it into the environment, or other disposal, should be the last resort, done safely.