Waste Hierarchy

The waste management hierarchy is a conceptual framework designed to guide and rank waste management decisions at both the individual and organizational level. It gives top priority to waste prevention, followed by re-use, recycling, recovery and finally disposal. The most preferred actions are at the top and the least preferred are at the bottom of the pyramid. At present, the efforts for waste disposal are far greater than for waste reduction. There is a strong need for inverting the pyramid and focussing all efforts on reduction.