Hazardous waste. A North Carolina dilemma

North Carolina, along with the rest of the nation, faces a number of dilemmas regarding management of hazardous waste: 1. North Carolina businesses and industries generate a lot of hazardous waste, but the state lacks the capacity to manage it. For many, it has been acceptable to ship the waste to other states for treatment, storage, and disposal. Some of the receiving states have indicated that they are no longer willing to serve as the "dumping ground" for North Carolina. 2. North Carolina, along with the EPA, has identified a number of hazardous waste sites now listed on the NPL. However, the state was excluded from its regional agreement with Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee in January 1991, meaning that Superfund monies may be withdrawn and that cleanup won't be completed at these sites. 3. Every year the country produces at least 260 million tons of hazardous waste--more than one ton for every man, woman, and child. Those opposed to constructing hazardous waste treatment facilities charge that businesses and industries should reduce their hazardous waste to zero or near zero, and they charge that the state is not doing enough to encourage waste reduction. North Carolina's hazardous waste regulations already require programs to minimize the amounts of waste generated by industries, but for most industrial processes, it is impossible to reduce the generation of waste to zero. However, industries must continue to reduce their waste through source reduction and recycling. Hazardous waste and toxic materials do pose a risk to human health and the environment unless properly managed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)