Archived Evaluation Reports: Waste
For each report below, you will find the title, the year it was commissioned, the office it is affiliated with, a short description of the content and for some, a fact sheet (i.e., a condensed version of the report).
| Year | Office | Report & Fact sheet | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Office of Land and Emergency Management | This evaluation focused on the Superfund RCRA Corrective Action, and Brownfields programs within OLEM. The goals were to establish a baseline of current practice and community satisfaction with EPA’s technical assistance (TA) and information dissemination (ID) practices, and to consider the feasibility of potential measures for tracking TA and ID moving forward. | |
| 2013 | Region 2 |
Evaluating the Effectiveness and Efficiency of Region 2’s RCRA Corrective Action Program |
This study evaluated the efficiency and effectiveness of the EPA Region 2 Corrective Action program. Of particular interest were processes that hamper or delay the identification of site-specific remedial decisions. The evaluation results will help Region 2 identify program management opportunities to maximize the limited Federal, State and Territorial resources to reach final remediation decisions for projects sooner and in a manner which provides long-term protection of public health and the local environment. |
| 2012 | Office of Land and Emergency Management | The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Management Program (RMP) is implemented by the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) in EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM). EPA and state and local implementing agencies conduct inspections at RMP facilities to determine compliance with RMP regulatory requirements. OEM requested an outcome evaluation of the RMP focusing on the role of inspections. OEM and the Evaluation Support Division agreed that prior to committing to a full evaluation, they would conduct an evaluation scoping project to: 1) assess whether current data are adequate to support an evaluation, and 2) identify additional data collection that might be required. | |
| 2011 | Office of Policy |
In the United States each year, an estimated 10 percent of sold architectural paint (more than 750 million gallons) is left unused. Local household hazardous waste collection programs collect more paint than any other hazardous waste. Oregon became the first state in the nation to enact a law requiring paint manufacturers to safely manage leftover latex and oil-based paint from consumer and contractor painting jobs. To ensure that paint is disposed of properly, this issue requires public awareness and a convenient and effective system for collecting paint. To support this legislation, a national partnership—the Paint Project Stewardship Initiative—was developed, and EPA's Office of Policy participated in this effort. Under the new law, the paint industry set up a program to reduce paint waste, increase reuse and recycling, and safely dispose of remaining unusable paint. Evaluation was a goal of the partnership since its inception. By building measurement and evaluation into the design of the pilot program, the Paint Project Stewardship Initiative has positioned itself to answer key evaluation questions important to all its stakeholders. The evaluation used a mixed-methods design including Direct Observation and Quasi-Experimental methodology. This evaluation assessed program performance across a range of perspectives, including: collaboration in program planning and implementation; program management; education and outreach; consumer purchasing decisions; collection of post-consumer paint; paint reprocessing, recycling and energy recovery; household hazardous waste programs; cost-effectiveness; markets for post-consumer paint; program transferability; and program side effects. The Paint Product Stewardship Initiative developed a website as a companion to this report — www.paintstewardshipprogram.com . |
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| 2010 | Office of Land and Emergency Management | This report presents the results of evaluation of the hazardous waste determination program undertaken to determine if the federal hazardous waste determination program is working, identify potential challenges that hazardous waste generators face, and assess whether EPA can improve the regulations and better assist Hazardous Waste generators in achieving compliance. | |
| 2010 | Office of Land and Emergency Management |
Evaluation of Implementation of the Superfund Green Remediation Strategy |
The evaluation helped to: a) assess EPA experiences to date in implementing the Green Remediation Strategy; b) determine a baseline against which to measure EPA progress in implementing the Green Remediation Strategy; and c) determine the best metrics for measuring the program's success in implementing Green Remediation practices. |
| 2009 | Region 4 |
Effectiveness Assessment of the Region 4 Superfund Alternative (SA) Approach |
This evaluation examined the factors that influenced how this approach was used, its efficiency in terms of potential time and cost savings, and its effectiveness in achieving the goals of the Superfund program. |
| 2008 | Office of Land and Emergency Management; Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery |
The WasteWise program, run by the Office of Land and Emergency Management, uses information, technical assistance, public recognition and awards to promote the prevention and recycling of municipal solid waste and select industrial materials. Municipal solid waste includes materials that could end up in an organization's (or its customers') trash. This evaluation helped to identify the most effective activities the program could use to reduce the waste of different types of program partners (e.g., size or sector of partners) and addressed the related question of attribution: how much of this waste reduction is fairly attributable to EPA activities? The evaluation also assessed whether the current information is sufficient (or if other information available but not already reported by partners is needed) to evaluate the program. This evaluation determined whether the WasteWise Program effectively reduced waste by comparing the waste reduction practices and results of partners and non-partners under . This evaluation helped identify which activities were effective in convincing program partners to reduce waste. This evaluation also addressed the question whether these activities could be attributed to EPA activities. |
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| 2006 | Office of Land and Emergency Management | Measuring the Effectiveness of the CORE Emergency Response Program Review Process | As part of a commitment to continuous improvement and evaluation, EPA’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) developed assessment tools related to preparedness of the Emergency Response and Removal Program, but a method for evaluating the outcome of specific emergency responses and removal actions had not been developed. This evaluation was conducted to identify and apply a suite of indicators for measuring the success of individual actions to allow for routine and consistent assessment of responses. |
| 2005 | Office of Land and Emergency Management; Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances; Office of Air and Radiation; Regions | Evaluation Results from EPA's Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign | This evaluation identified successful projects; defined how to best work with schools to ensure a healthy and safe school environment; evaluated the tools available to help schools improve their school environment; and identified innovative approaches to improving a school's environment. The results were used to determine whether the program should be scaled-up for broader use. |
| 2003 | Office of Land and Emergency Management, Office of Solid Waste | Evaluation of Three RCRA Regulations Designed to Foster Increased Recycling | This evaluation assessed whether EPA's regulatory relief modifications under the Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) have increased the recycling of hazardous waste. |
| 2003 | Office of Land and Emergency Management, Office of Solid Waste | Evaluation of the Interagency Open Dump Clean Up Program for Tribes | This evaluation assessed whether the program was effective in cleaning up or closing open dumps on tribal lands and in preventing illegal dumping through regulations, training to community members and solid waste management planning. |
| 2003 | Office of Land and Emergency Management, Office of Emergency and Remedial Response | Program Evaluation: An Internal Review of Procedures for Community Involvement in Superfund Risk Assessments | This evaluation assessed on how EPA's guidance and educational tools for enhancing community involvement in the Superfund risk assessment process are being applied, how effective EPA is at delivering the messages about risk assessment, and how community involvement is integrated into risk management decisions. |
| 2003 | Region 10, Office of Waste and Chemicals Management | Measuring Toxics Use and Waste Reduction Assistance Program's (TUWRAP) Influence | This evaluation assessed the costs and effectiveness of the Toxics Use and Waste Reduction Assistance Program in Oregon and in particular its impact on hazardous waste compliance in Oregon. |