Sound waste management practices seek to minimize the amount of waste that need to be disposed,
and comprise three R's.
- Reduce amount of waste.
- Reuse items already used.
- Recycle or recover items.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends these actions, in order of preference:
- Source reduction and reuse
- Recycling and composting
- Incineration with energy capture
- Landfilling
However, more than 50% of U.S. solid waste end up in landfills.