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# Non-Hazardous Waste Management Hierarchy

Because no single waste management approach is suitable for managing all waste streams in all circumstances, EPA developed a hierarchy ranking the most environmentally sound strategies for municipal solid waste. The hierarchy places emphasis on reducing, reusing, and recycling the majority of wastes and demonstrates the key components of EPA's Sustainable Materials Management Program (SMM). SMM is an effort to protect the environment and conserve resources for future generations through a systems approach that seeks to reduce materials use and their associated environmental impacts over their entire life cycles, starting with extraction of natural resources and p roduct design and ending with decisions on recycling or final disposal. 

### Source Reduction and Reuse Source reduction, also known as waste prevention, m eans reducing waste at the source. It can take many different forms, including reusing or donating items, buying in bulk, reducing packaging, redesigning products, and reducing toxicity. Sourcereduction also is important in manufacturing. Lightweighting of packaging, reuse, and remanufactu ring are all becoming more popular business trends. Purchasing products that incorporate these features supports source reduction.

Source reduction can: Save natural resources; Conserve energy; Reduce pollution; Reduce the toxicity of our waste; and Save money for consumers and businesses alike. 

### Recycling/Composting Recycling is a series of activities that includes t he collection of used, reused, or unused items that would otherwise be considered waste; sorting and pr ocessing the recyclable products into raw materials; and remanufacturing the recycled raw mat erials into new products. Consumers provide the last link in recycling by purchasing products m ade from recycled content. Recycling also can include composting of food scraps, yard trimmings, and other organic materials. Recycling prevents the emission of many greenhouse gases and water pollutants, saves energy,



## Wastes - Non-Hazardous Waste - Municipal Solid Wast e http://www.epa.gov/wastes/nonhaz/municipal/hierarch y.htm Last updated on 11/22/2013 Solid Waste Management Hierarchy | Wastes | US EPA http://www.epa.gov/wastes/nonhaz/municipal/hierarch y.htm

1 of 2 8/1/2015 9:27 AMsupplies valuable raw materials to industry, create s jobs, stimulates the development of greener

technologies, conserves resources for our children' s future, and reduces the need for new landfills and combustors. 

### Energy Recovery Energy recovery from waste is the conversion of non -recyclable waste materials into useable heat, electricity, or fuel through a variety of processes , including combustion, gasification, pyrolization, anaerobic digestion, and landfill gas (LFG) recovery. This process is often called waste-to-energy (WTE). 

### Treatment and Disposal Landfills are the most common form of waste disposa l and are an important component of an integrated waste management system. Landfills that accept municipal solid waste are primarily regulated by state, tribal, and local governments. EPA, however, has established national standards these landfills must meet in order to stay open. Th e federal landfill regulations have eliminated the open dumps of the past. Today’s landfills must meetstringent design, operation, and closure requirements. Methane gas, a byproduct of decomposing waste, can be collected and used as fuel to generate electricity. After a landfill is capped, t he land may be used for recreation sites such as parks, golf courses, and ski slopes. Solid Waste Management Hierarchy | Wastes | US EPA http://www.epa.gov/wastes/nonhaz/municipal/hierarch y.htm

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