And it puts inequitable burdens for processing garbage on certain waterfront communities, which are largely communities of color. Elsewhere in the United States, when sustainability in the solid waste arena has been nurtured and cared for, it has, like a well-raised child, prospered and succeeded. The public has embraced it whole-heartedly, perhaps because in the context of solid waste, sustainability translates so easily into concrete actions like recycling or making smarter purchasing decisions. In recent years, federal government policy has consistently supported a hierarchy for solid waste management that promotes sustainability. That policy gives top preference to waste prevention, or not creating waste in the first place.
Recycling is on the second rung of the solid waste hierarchy.
Recycling not only includes reprocessing of cans and bottles, but also includes composting, the recycling of organic materials, such as food and yard wastes. These policies, although still inadequate, have been having an impact. At the bottom of the hierarchy are landfilling and incineration. Composting is just beginning to grab significant quantities of the waste stream as municipal programs are realizing there are significant recycling gains to be made by recycling food and yard waste. For the first time EPA has quantified waste NOT entering the waste stream, waste that is prevented or reduced at the source.