Waste prevention is not recycling.
Recycling is an effective way to manage waste materials once they have been generated.
Waste prevention actually reduces the amount of material used and therefore the amount discarded. Reducing the amount of solid waste we each generate is the first step. We can all look at the things we do every day that make garbage and see which ones are necessary and which ones are not. For example, necessary garbage is created when we buy products like medicine or foods wrapped in packaging that protects our safety and health. Other things can easily be changed, like using a sponge instead of a paper towel.