The Waste Hierarchy

The waste hierarchy aims to encourage the management of waste materials in order to reduce the amount of waste materials produced, and to recover maximum value from the wastes that are produced. It is not applied as a strict hierarchy as many complex factors influence the optimal management for any given waste material. However, as a guide, it encourages the prevention of waste, followed by the reuse and refurbishment of goods, then value recovery through recycling and composting.

The next option is energy recovery, an important level in the hierarchy as many materials have significant embedded energy that can be recovered. Waste prevention, reuse, recycling and recovery are collectively defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as waste minimisation. Finally, waste disposal should only be used when no option further up the hierarchy is possible.