The less generated, the less the potential costs. Pollution prevention means source reduction. Waste minimization means reduction, to the extent feasible, of any solid or hazardous waste prior to any treatment, storage, or disposal.
Source reduction is usually preferable to recycling from an environmental perspective.
Recycling is less desirable because the generation of waste still occurs and the recycling process results in waste residues. Waste Minimization Techniques Recycling includes the use or reuse of the material as an effective substitute for a commercial product, or as an ingredient or feedstock in a process. It includes the reclamation of useful constituents within a waste material, or removal of contaminants from a waste to allow it to be reused. Disposal costs are reduced or eliminated, and raw material purchase costs are also reduced. Some assistance can be found with the expanding waste exchange programs being established across the United States.