What is the primary objective of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)?

The primary objective of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is to identify hazardous solid waste and regulate its management. The RCRA encompasses a comprehensive framework for managing hazardous waste, as well as addressing non-hazardous solid waste. It seeks to protect human health and the environment from the potential hazards of waste disposal, ensuring that hazardous waste is managed in a manner that minimizes its impact on the environment.

By focusing on identification and regulation, RCRA empowers the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create guidelines for waste management, which includes generating standards for waste treatment, storage, and disposal. This regulatory structure is crucial for preventing environmental contamination and promoting safe practices in waste handling across the United States.

In contrast, the other options do not fully capture the essence of RCRA's main focus. Eliminating solid waste entirely is not feasible or realistic, given the complexities of waste generation in modern society. While promoting recycling initiatives and establishing performance standards for landfills are important environmental goals, they form only parts of the broader waste management strategy under the RCRA framework. RCRA's comprehensive regulatory focus on hazardous waste identification and management is what distinctly defines its primary objective.