The Environmental Protection Agency has several programs which specify the way environmental issues in the country need to be handled. EPA laws help to enforce proper environmental practices in the country to ensure all individuals and organizations conform to them. EPA monitors all activities in which public and private entities are involved to ensure they comply with proper environmental standards. The organization works within a regulatory framework that mandates it to deal with all environmental issues in the country. This paper will discuss the impact of EPA’s policies on business in the US.
EPA’s waste and clean-up risk assessment program helps to monitor waste management and disposal in different sectors of the economy. This program ensures waste management processes by both individuals and business firms comply with established environmental regulations. This helps to protect the environment from being polluted by poor waste disposal. Waste management policies are enforced in line with provisions of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
The act has several regulations which stipulate the way waste disposal should be conducted to protect groundwater and air resources. The Act outlines guidelines that need to be followed by different industries to ensure firms adhere to high environmental standards (Browner, 1993). Therefore, EPA laws help business firms to institute proper environmental practices in their operations.
Proper waste management and disposal by business firms help them to cut unnecessary costs in their operations. This allows companies to implement innovative internal processes to curb wastage of resources in production. For instance, hospitality and food manufacturing firms which dispose of waste in landfills close to their premises are likely to contaminate their products with toxic substances. Toxic elements from landfills can be swept into nearby rivers and streams, which serve as water sources for both business firms and other domestic users. These toxic substances can in turn find their way into food products manufactured by these companies, which endanger the health of consumers (Browner, 1993). Business firms must cooperate with EPA to ensure they dispose of waste generated by their operations properly.
Business firms that follow EPA waste management guidelines can introduce innovative production methods to make them more competitive in the market. Firms
can recycle waste products that are not bio-degradable to save money that is spent on new raw materials. This makes it possible for such organizations to invest in effective technological processes, which help them recycle nonorganic waste instead of disposing it into landfills. Kasich and Nally (2013) reveal that recycling processes make it possible for a business firm to comply with environmental regulations which maximize returns. Therefore, the firm can reduce additional operational costs incurred in manufacturing because it may not need to acquire new raw materials. This also benefits communities living nearby because they get an opportunity to live in a clean environment.
Waste management policies open up opportunities for firms to partner with administrators of cities and towns, to improve the quality of life for residents living there. A business firm can look at commercial benefits which can be obtained from garbage generated by its production processes. For instance, a business firm can use the waste from food and animal products to produce energy, which can then be sold to residents living nearby (Kasich & Nally, 2013). This makes it possible for a business firm to increase its earnings because it can serve the market demand for energy. This opens up more employment opportunities in the area because the firm has to hire new employees to perform these functions.
Waste management and clean-up risk assessment programs offer opportunities to business firms to clean up various cities and towns across the US. Some city and town authorities cannot collect and manage waste generated by households and industrial organizations within their jurisdictions. Therefore, this compels public administrators to outsource garbage collection and disposal functions to private firms, which have expertise in waste management. This helps to clean up the environment because private firms can sort out the garbage collected and dispose of it by EPA regulations (Environmental Protection Agency, 2013). This creates more employment opportunities in the country and helps communities affected by poor waste disposal practices to live in a clean environment.
Companies which follow proper environmental practices in their operations are likely to benefit from a positive reputation in the market. Consumers have become more aware of good environmental laws and practices. Therefore, companies which dispose of hazardous waste carelessly are likely to experience negative repercussions in the market. There are many environmental health and consumer lobby groups that monitor companies that pollute the environment through poor waste disposal. This may cause consumers to boycott products manufactured by a firm that pollutes the environment due to a bad reputation in the market (Environmental Protection Agency, 2013). Therefore, EPA’s waste management policies make companies more aware of their responsibilities to consumers.
References
Browner, C.M. (1993). Pollution prevention: P2 Policy Statement. Washington, D.C: Environmental Protection Agency. Web.
Environmental Protection Agency (2013). Compliance assistance: Information for regulated businesses and communities. Washington, D.C: Environmental Protection Agency. Web.
Kasich, J.R. & Nally, S. (2013). Recycling. Columbus, OH: Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Web.