Stop calling recycling the whole strategy
Apply the waste hierarchy to distinguish prevention, reuse, recycling, recovery, and disposal decisions.
The hierarchy is a ranking, not a menu. It tells you which kind of move deserves the first serious attempt. Prevention and source reduction This is the highest-value zone because the waste never enters the system. Material elimination, lighter packaging, longer product life, and lower-toxicity choices all sit here. Reuse and life extension If the product or component already exists, the next question is whether it can stay useful with cleaning, maintenance, return, repair, or refill. Recycling and composting These are important recovery routes, but they happen after value has already been lost through collection, sorting, and processing. Energy recovery,…
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