ealth official receives but a minimal orientation to solid wastes For Public Incentives The Solid Waste Disposal Act encompasses all aspects of solid waste management: generation, collection, transportation, processing, tilization and ultimate disposal. The word disposal in the title is misleading, referring to only ne component of a solid waste management system. To more accurately eflect the intent of the legislation, the title should be The Solid Waste Management Act. As technology develops and as private industry, governmental gencies, interested individuals and professional organizations become nore aware and concerned with solid waste management, the need for National Conference on Solid Waste Management to disseminate infornation and help stimulate further research, development and demonsration on solid waste storage, handling, collection, utilization and lisposal becomes more apparent. The calling of such a national conerence would focus attention on the recent gains made in effective olid waste management, the problems confronting the nation in the rea of inadequate solid waste handling and disposal, and the national rogram to provide all citizens with a clean environment. For Balance in Research and Development Programs To initiate and accelerate a national research and development rogram for new and improved methods of solid waste management, a oordinated program of in-house research, contract research, and research grants is needed. It is important to recognize the difference between basic and applied research, balancing the anticipated returns in terms of cost effectiveness. The results of basic research are not usually adapted to existing techniques, but more aptly are applied in combination to produce innovative concepts of great importance in the eventual solution of solid waste problems. To offset the long-range concept of basic research, applied research-- programs of direct importance to existing systems or methods -- should strive to improve facilities through modification, addition, or alteration. While basic research will provide eventual total concept improvement, applied research makes these basic concepts practical by reducing the concept to practice with operational devices and techniques. For most effective development and application of new and improved technology, these two areas of research must be properly balanced. Intramural activities should include basic as well as applied research. The degree of emphasis in either area should be varied to meet contingencies requiring immediate action and support of basic innovations or important modifications. Experienced scientists and engineers within the primary action agency should define and determine attainable goals which will be achieved by solid waste research, development, and demonstration. In-house programs, complemented by contracts and grants to individuals, private, profit, or nonprofit organizations should be the mainspring of the research efforts. An organization should be established within or at the behest of the agency that is capable of evaluating research needs, of setting priorities for action and of deciding the proper, most expeditious mechanism for implementation. Extramural research and development activities should draw on the cooperation of governmental, educational and industrial representatives throughout the nation. Every avenue of approach to directed research in this most challenging area must be explored. Much scientific and engineering expertise lies outside the Federal Government and should be utilized. Research grants permit basic research to develop those concepts which promise better technology for the future with total recycle as the ultimate goal. Research contracts, both solicited and unsolicited, should be sed to expedite applied research by contracting out specific projects hich would be difficult to undertake in other ways. Thus both ontract and grant mechanisms are needed to maximize the research fforts in the solid waste field. One other grant mechanism--the training grant--with important ignificance for research within and outside the government provides upport for university graduate training of scientists and engineers ho can be expected to contribute research and direction to solid raste management of the future. Under the leadership of the U. S. Department of Health, Education, nd Welfare, and the Department of the Interior, the Federal Governnent has invested millions of dollars in support of research on liquid nd gaseous wastes. For example, the President's budget for Fiscal Year 1969 calls for approximately $60. 5 million for the National Air Pollution Control Administration research budget, while the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration of the Department of the nterior is budgeted for approximately $64 million. Only $5 million vas requested for research for the entire Solid Wastes Program of he Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. This latter >rogram must be expanded. For Demonstration Programs Opportunities for demonstration of new or improved methods or equipment are fundamental to research and development. Researched concepts will only be useful if the resulting developments are applied in concrete situations, leading to refinement, modification, and ultimately commercial adoption. Demonstrations and full-scale trials, supported or insured with Federal funds, will be essential in many cases since there are and will be risks, real or imagined, and unsatisfactory operations. The current level of support for demonstration programs (FY 1969, $5 million) must be raised to an annual level sufficient to accomplish reasonable goals. These goals will be to take calculated risks with new processes, mechanical equipment and operating procedures, to demonstrate how the risks can be overcome, to delineate economics and feasibility, and to develop design criteria for engineers to follow En applying the technology. These goals involve extensive data gatherng, critical evaluation, information dissemination and retrieval programs. State, interstate, and local agencies of government and public and private nonprofit organizations receive grant support for demonstrations relating to the application of new or improved methods of solid waste collection, storage, processing, and ultimate disposal. A proposed demonstration project may be concerned with any or all elements of a comprehensive system for solid waste management. The prime purpose of such projects is to demonstrate the feasibility, economic practicability, and safety of equipment, systems, or techniques which have not previously undergone thorough evaluation. Support is also available for projects designed to demonstrate new or improved techniques for recovering valuable materials and energy potentials as part of the process of solid waste disposal. Recipients of demonstration grants are required to insure that all information, uses, processes, patents, and other developments resulting from activities supported by grant funds will be made readily available to the public and to furnish assurance that open dumping and open burning have been or will be abolished within the political jurisdiction where the demonstration is to be conducted. For State Planning Programs Grants to support surveys of solid waste disposal practices and problems and to develop comprehensive solid waste plans are awarded to state and interstate agencies which have been designated or established as the sole agency responsible for such state or interstate planning. The applying agency is expected to show that information concerning all aspects of the solid waste disposal problem--including those of urban, rural, industrial and agricultural origin--gathered during a grantsupported survey will be sufficiently detailed and comprehensive to form the basis for a feasible and orderly plan of solid waste management. Planning for which grant support is requested should embrace: (1) short- and long-term goals and program objectives relating to enactment and strengthening of legislation; (2) state program grants for financing and staffing the state agencies responsible for solid waste management; (3) a data collection system to gather and evaluate information on solid waste problems and devise means of dealing with them; (4) recognition of the vital relationship between solid waste management and such fields as public health, air and water pollution control, and urban planning; (5) recognition of the inherent advantages of regional programs of solid waste management; (6) a mechanism for state assistance to local agencies within the state; (7) continuing programs of public information and education to assure understanding and support of government solid waste management efforts; (8) appropriate attention the potential for salvage, conversion, and utilization of solid waste materials; and (9) the setting and enforcement of standards or the design and operation of solid waste management facilities nd equipment. In order to be justified in effort and cost, planning for solid astes management should result ultimately in tangible accomplishnents. Further, accomplishments should be a direct reflection of ecisions reached in the plan. Accomplishing or implementing he plan could include the development of statewide legislation. Along with model ordinances for regional and local adoption, techical assistance in solid wastes handling to regional and local governnental units, installation of solid wastes management systems in egional and local governmental units, could go actual on-site emonstration of advanced methods of solid waste handling and inspecion and control of disposal sites and facilities. These activities all for program aid to the State and interstate agencies in the form of state program grants. For Industrial Incentives Existing legislation prescribes a strong Federal role in the levelopment of technology for solid waste management. The Federal nechanism for research, development, and demonstration allows for jupport in local and state government establishments and in joint endeavors between the two. Federal support must be expanded to encourage private industry to develop and demonstrate innovative ›rocesses and procedures for solid waste handling and disposal; the research and development staffs of manufacturing concerns could contribute much to the field of solid waste management. Some modification of patent protection policies may be needed to encourage greater participation by private industry in solid waste research and development. Patentable inventions developed with the use of Federal funds normally accrue to the public interest with the inventor signing all rights over to the public. In specific instances where vesting such rights would remove the incentive to create new or novel processes and under careful controls, it is suggested that there be a waiving of The government patent rights. A majority of Federally supported research and development programs has involved fields where the Federal Government controls, or is the sole market, such as in defense and space. However, the |