Waste management hierarchy

The waste management hierarchy prioritises reducing, reusing, and avoiding waste.

To understand how to apply circular economy principles to a waste management strategy, and why they are important, it can be helpful to investigate what is often referred to as the waste management hierarchy.

We need an entire systems approach to managing our materials. One helpful tool is the waste hierarchy. The waste management hierarchy, also known as the waste hierarchy is a framework designed to prioritise waste management practices based on their environmental impact, helping us practice genuine sustainability.

The primary aim is to avoid waste in the first place; such as through not making a new purchase if at all possible. In everyday life, we might use this strategy as an informal reminder; we don’t really need that shiny new pair of shoes, or we can borrow or rent what we need to attend the wedding next month. If avoiding waste isn’t possible, the waste hierarchy helps us to consider the next best practice, reusing materials; such as purchasing second-hand from thrift stores (op shops) or from Facebook marketplace, or sharing items with others such as a tool library or a toy library.

The R’s of waste management

Popularised in the 1990s, you’ve very likely heard of The Three R’s, traditionally thought of as reduce, reuse, recycle, which can be another helpful tool in accessing how we can eliminate waste.

In recent years, the three R’s have been expanded to include a wider range of waste management options. The lists of these vary, but often they include (in no particular order):

• Recover
• Recycle
• Repurpose
• Remanufacture
• Refurbish
• Repair
• Re-use
• Reduce
• Rethink
• Refuse

Are recyclable materials actually being recycled as advertised?

You may also come across concerns that recyclable materials aren’t actually being recycled as advertised.

Recycling is often seen as the key to saving the planet, but is that really the case? The following video takes a closer look at the complexities of recycling, showing that it’s not just about sorting your waste correctly.

This is another important reason to consider the full waste management hierarchy. While recycling is one solution, in some circumstances, it is not a panacea; very few materials can be infinitely recycled (not to mention the energy and resources that go into the recycling process itself), so even with our best recycling efforts, many materials still end up as waste. The practice of the circular economy however, as explored in the previous, is more than just recycling, and instead aims to keep all materials in circulation for as long as possible and eliminate the idea of ‘waste’ altogether.

How can the 10 Rs reduce waste in your home or office?

Let’s think of any ordinary household or office product. Perhaps something you used this morning in the kitchen.

How might one of the ‘10 Rs’ strategies help us to eliminate waste? For example, if we wanted to ‘refurbish’ a pair of kitchen scissors, we might oil and sharpen them, or even replace the handle if needed.

Share your thoughts in the comment section.

As the saying goes, begin in your own backyard. Through these practices, along with the skills and knowledge you’re developing now, you’ll be ready to tackle more complex scenarios, such as working with organisations or businesses.