The waste/recycling hierarchy is designed to encourage people to be more conscientious in both the waste they produce and how it is managed. This is often referred to as the “3 R’s of Recycling.” The 3 R’s of the waste/recycling hierarchy are:

• Reduce: Finding ways to lessen or reduce what becomes waste.

• Reuse: Taking what has been used and finding a new purpose for it.

• Recycle: Using items that have been used and processing them into a new product.

This hierarchy has helped in the move toward a more sustainable way to handle resources and the refuse left over from its use. Each option provides an alternative to simply dumping the remains into landfill by either reducing the amount of waste being produced, repurposing the rubbish created by the item, or processing the refuse to create a new product.

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Other Sources

Kelleher, Mary. “Waste Reduction.” http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/waste-reduction/. March 4, 2015. Accessed May 3, 2016.