Waste Reduction
What is “waste reduction” ?
For the purposes of the European Week for Waste Reduction project, which aims to address as wide an audience as possible, the wider term “waste reduction” is used synonymously with the term “waste prevention”.
Waste reduction involves the first two legal concepts of the new waste framework directive: “waste prevention” and “preparing for reuse” (as defined below).
In keeping with this hierarchy, the European Week for Waste Reduction aims to raise awareness more specifically on the act of: preventing the production of waste, i.e. everything that can and should be done to prevent throwing an item away, so as to reduce the amount of waste that is submitted for collection and to reduce the harmfulness of the waste generated.
So, the best waste is that which is not produced !
Waste reduction can therefore be defined as the complete range of measures and actions taken up before a substance, material or product becomes waste. These measures aim to reduce :
- the quantity of waste produced, including through the intermediary process of reuse or by lengthening the lifespan of products
- the harmful effects of waste produced and treated, both on the environment and on human health
- the content of harmful substances in materials and in products
Preparing for reuse refers to checking, cleaning or repairing recovery operations, by which products or components of products that would have become waste are prepared so that they can be re-used without any other pre-processing. Preparing for re-use therefore implies changes in practices; both in terms of consumer purchasing habits and in terms of the manufacturing process.
Reducing the quantity of waste produced implies taking action at the different stages of the product life cycle: product design, production, distribution, consumption and end of life. This could mean a change of input materials, use of a different type of technology, change in design, alternative operating practices, changes to the product, introduction of refill or reuse systems, miniaturisation….
Why is waste reduction important ?
Waste reduction is an emergency for the European Union as a whole. Household waste has doubled in weight in 40 years and has been growing steadily at a rate of 1 to 2% per year; in 2007, 522kg of municipal waste was generated on average per person in the EU Member States. (Source: Eurostat). This waste is the result of non-sustainable modes of production and consumption. Furthermore, the consumption of products (including their production, transport and distribution), represents nearly 50% of emissions contributing to climate change.
Photo Joël Jaffre/ ADEME
This increase in the amount of waste to be managed requires more collection and treatment infrastructures, the cost of which puts a strain on the budgets of local and regional public authorities.
In this context, prevention has become a simple and essential concept in the area of waste management: it is a fundamental technical factor in waste management at local level but also a notion that should remind us of the scarcity of natural resources.
Who can get involved in waste reduction activities ?
Everyone can take action! Each day, at home, in the office or at school, while doing the shopping or DIY, every one of us can take up simple actions to reduce our production of waste.
See the “Good habits for reducing waste” section for more information and tips!
A variety of actors have roles to play in raising awareness among citizens on the subject of waste prevention: public authorities or administrations, associations, NGOs, businesses, industries, educational establishments… As such, these actors can get involved in the European Week for Waste Reduction by carrying out awareness-raising actions at local level as “Project Developers”.
