What Exactly Is Waste Minimization?

Businesses can take a number of approaches to managing the hazardous waste they generate. In Figure 1, these approaches are arranged in a hierarchy, according to their potential for negatively impacting safety and the environment. The methods towards the top of the hierarchy are preferred as they reduce the amount of hazardous materials that eventually become waste, and therefore reduce present and future threats to human health and the environment.

The preferred approaches are collectively referred to as waste minimization*. Waste minimization means the reduction, to the extent feasible, of hazardous waste that is generated and subsequently treated, stored, or disposed. Waste minimization includes any source reduction or recycling activities, which are defined further:

• Source Reduction: Any actions which reduce the amount of waste initially generated, or which reduce the hazardous properties of wastes prior to their generation. Source reduction techniques, such as good "housekeeping" (e.g. first-in/first-out inventory control, improved cleanup methods, etc.) are often the simplest and least costly ways to reduce the amount of waste generated.

• Recycling: The reuse, or reclamation of waste after it has been generated, including (1) direct reuse as a raw material, (2) processing to eliminate impurities or regenerate for reuse, and (3) recovery of useful components. (In addition to reducing the amount of waste which must be disposed of, recycling also reduces the amount of virgin feedstock that must be produced and/or purchased.)

Treatment, which is not considered a waste minimization approach, includes actions which reduce the volume and/or hazardous properties of waste after its generation and prior to disposal or discharge (end-of-pipe actions). Many treatment techniques, however, are integrated into recycling processes to render materials reusable.

Unlike many waste treatment approaches, waste minimization can be practiced at several stages in most industrial processes. Like all creative solutions to waste management problems, waste minimization requires careful planning, creative problem solving, changes in attitude, sometimes capital investment, and, most important, a commitment. The payoffs for this commitment, however, can be great. And in some cases, such as improved housekeeping practices, payoffs can be realized almost immediately with little or no cost.

Various waste minimization and treatment options available are highlighted in Table 1.

Sidenotes:
Recycling vs. Treatment
About "Pollution Liability"

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*The terms pollution prevention and waste reduction are often used interchangeably with waste minimization, however they may imply slight differences in meaning: While waste minimization does not include treatment within its scope, waste reduction often does. The term pollution prevention emphasizes "multi-media" reduction of all wastes, including emissions and discharges to air and water. In this document, all terms - waste minimization, waste reduction, and pollution prevention - will exclude "treatment" and refer to the multi-media reduction of all emissions, discharges, and wastes requiring disposal.