Waste reduction

courtesy : Waste reduction

Defining  waste reduction

The  first  problem confronting  the Committee  was  that  of defining their  area  of concern.  In the  US Environmental Protection Agency’s. Third Report  to Congress  on Resource Recovery  and  Waste Reduction 6 waste reduction is defined as the ‘prevention  of waste at its source, either by redesigning products or by otherwise changing societal  patterns  of consumption or waste  generation’. However there has been some confusion over the distinction between waste reduction and resource recovery, both of which are  intended  to conserve  natural  resource and reduce  the  flow of materials requiring disposal. If a refillable  bottle is returned  to a retailer for a deposit and  is subsequently reused, this has generally been  considered to be waste generation’. reduction ; however, if a householder  separates  out  newspaper, glass, or metals  from the rest of the garbage and makes them  available for recycling  (either voluntarily or for payment), this has generally been considered to be resource recovery. The distinction appears to hinge on ‘waste’ reduction: the  definition  of ‘waste’ or, more precisely,  the  point  at  which  an item is said to enter the waste stream.  The Committee decided  that for  the  purpose of their report, the waste stream  would  by definition include all items that no longer serve their originally intended purpose. Thus a refillable container, while it continued to be reused, would not  be considered a waste, while a non-refillable  container  would  be (even  if it is recycled into  the manufacture of  new containers). It  was noted  that the  latter has value solely  because of  its content of materials, while the former also has value  as a product (although even refillable containers are  ultimately discarded, at which  time they  become waste). The  importance of  the distinction  should perhaps  not be exaggerated, since  both waste reduction and  resource recovery  are simply means to an . end. It  can be argued that, in comparing  policy options, the  overriding consideration should be the extent to which benefits are  gained (ie  objectives  are  met) at an acceptable  level  of costs, rather  than the  way  in which  the policies  happen to be
categorised.  Studies by the Environmental  Protection Agency (EPA) have  indicated  that a balanced approach using more than one option  waste).’is likely to be the wisest  course to take.

# Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)

# Resource Recovery

# Report  to Congress

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