individual or societal action is necessary Unfortunately, the standard of living in the United States is inevitably tied to the generation of solid reasonable to assume that a departure from this philosophy of wastefulness will reduce the tonnage of wastes to be managed. This concept inevitably leads to the need for source reduction and the reuse cycling of recovered materials Changing Consumption Habits in Society Product consumption is a natural activity. Society changes its standard of living by changing the quantity and quality of products it consumes. Solid wastes, the discards of product consumption, vary in quantity and quality as changes occur in the standard of living. Consumption habits must be changed if the quantity of solid wastes from consuming activities is to be reduced. The challenge is to change consumption habits that have been established over many years, as a result of advertising pressure that glamorizes increased Reducing the volume of waste at the source. Efforts must be made to reduce the quantity of materials used in both packaging and obsolescent goods and to begin the process of recycling at the source-the home, office, or factory-so that fewer naterials will become part of the disposable solid wastes of a community. Source reduction is an alternative that will conserve resources and also has economic viability Making landfills safer. Landfills will always be the final disposal place for wastes that cannot be recovered. For this reason, every effort must be made to reduce the toxicity of the wastes that will ultimately be placed in landfills The design of landfills must also improve to provide the safest possible location for the long-term storage of waste materials. The data base for existing landfills is expanding as improved construction and operations are implemented at new facilities. With an expanded data base comes the opportunity to understand how landfills function and how to manage the wastes placed in landfills more Development of New Technologies. There are numerous opportunities to introduce new technologies into the solid waste management system. The challenge is to encourage the development of technologies that are most conservative of natural resources and that are cost-effective. Because many unproven technologies have been sold to unsuspecting cities, it may be necessary to write laws to regulate the use of technology. The testing and implementing of new technologies will be an important part of IS wM in the future12-8 individual or societal action is necessary. Unfortunately, the standard of living in the United States is inevitably tied to the generation of solid wastes—the squandering of natural resources from this country and abroad, the one-time use of materials of so many types, and the philosophy of wastefulness and rapid obsolescence of products. It is reasonable to assume that a departure from this philosophy of wastefulness will reduce the tonnage of wastes to be managed. This concept inevitably leads to the need for source reduction and the reuse and recycling of recovered materials. Changing Consumption Habits in Society. Product consumption is a natural activity. Society changes its standard of living by changing the quantity and quality of products it consumes. Solid wastes, the discards of product consumption, vary in quantity and quality as changes occur in the standard of living. Consumption habits must be changed if the quantity of solid wastes from consuming activities is to be reduced. The challenge is to change consumption habits that have been established over many years, as a result of advertising pressure that glamorizes increased consumption. Reducing the Volume of Waste at the Source. Efforts must be made to reduce the quantity of materials used in both packaging and obsolescent goods and to begin the process of recycling at the source—the home, office, or factory—so that fewer materials will become part of the disposable solid wastes of a community. Source reduction is an alternative that will conserve resources and also has economic viability. Making Landfills Safer. Landfills will always be the final disposal place for wastes that cannot be recovered. For this reason, every effort must be made to reduce the toxicity of the wastes that will ultimately be placed in landfills. The design of landfills must also improve to provide the safest possible location for the long-term storage of waste materials. The data base for existing landfills is expanding as improved construction and operations are implemented at new facilities. With an expanded data base comes the opportunity to understand how landfills function and how to manage the wastes placed in landfills more effectively. Development of New Technologies. There are numerous opportunities to introduce new technologies into the solid waste management system. The challenge is to encourage the development of technologies that are most conservative of natural resources and that are cost-effective. Because many unproven technologies have been sold to unsuspecting cities, it may be necessary to write laws to regulate the use of technology. The testing and implementing of new technologies will be an important part of ISWM in the future