Waste management

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Waste Hierarchy

The waste hierarchy is the nationally recognised approach to waste management, and forms the basis of the Government's approach to waste management (see waste strategy 2000). The waste hierarchy sets out in order, the best practical environmental option for dealing with the disposal of waste. As you go down the list the environmental impact increases.

The waste hierarchy is as follows:

Reduce (most favoured option)
Re-use
Recycle
Recover energy through incineration or from landfills
Landfill without energy recovery (least favoured option)

The 3 R's represent the three most important waste management options in the waste hierarchy:

Reduce - reducing waste saves both materials and energy, and removes the need and expense of disposal.
Re-use - this reduces the need to buy new items and therefore saves resources.
Recycle - this saves valuable raw materials, and cuts down waste collection and disposal costs

Waste Management Strategy