Consult haulers, owners, Weight management blogs operators of waste management facilities, including reuse and recycling facilities, sttategies other Reduuction For unique waste streams, specialized expertise may be needed for transport and other waste management activities. If you have a large office, you may want to audit different areas or departments separately. Water Bottle Refilling Stations UCONN.

Waste reduction strategies -

It is becoming essential for designers to consider the impact of their designs and to include waste mitigation strategies as an essential component of the design process.

LCA Life-Cycle-Analysis is one such tool that designers can use to measure the impact of their designs. Other strategies include:. Circular Economy. Energy Recovery. WEEE Recovery. Raw material recovery. The circular economy is an economic model where materials and resources in a system are in constant use.

Waste is viewed as a resources and is brought back into the system to generate new products and services. Designers should consider the how materials in their products can be used, the amount of embodied energy in their product, and the potential for their product to be made into something new.

Examples of innovation in this area are:. the use of bioplastics that are made from renewable biomass. Clothing subscription or rental services see video clip. Within the circular economy, different business models need to be developed where users rent or lease a product or service, rather than purchasing it.

For designers, this means rethinking and innovating to meet new contexts for manufacture, distribution, sales, and end of life. To design for the circular economy designers need to consider the systems the product moves in and how the materials will be recovered and reused.

This may entail working with a group of organizations and companies to achieve the goal. For example, the designer of recycled jeans would need to work with the retailer, clothing recycler, manufacturer, and government regulators in order to produce a product that can work within the context of a circular economy.

This challenge can provide ample opportunities to innovate. Within a circular economy , materials can be classified into two categories. Biological materials : materials that are renewable and come from nature organic.

T echnical materials : materials that are manufactured and are finite in their quantities. The linear economy can be described as:. Take resources from nature, and generate waste in the process.

Make a produce a product using the materials, and generate waste in the process. Dispose of the product and thus create waste. On the other hand, a circular economy separates the two types of resources and ensures that they are reused in some capacity.

Waste thus becomes a resource for the next iteration. In this way, a circular economy seeks to mimic a healthy biological ecosystem. Biomimicry approaches to design actually include a category that recognizes this distinction. The Ellen McArthur Foundation promotes sustainability and supports designers and organizations in working towards the goal of a circular economy.

Waste-to-energy WtE is a form of energy production that generates electricity through the treatment usually combustion of non-recyclable waste. These systems are typically quite large and complex and are usually implemented by municipalities or cities.

Types of WtE systems will produce the following types of energy:. Gasification which produces a combustible gas such as hydrogen. US Energy and Information Administration: Biomass Waste to Energy. Waste-to-Energy: How It Works ; an interactive graphic.

Electronic devices contain a mixture of materials and components that can be hazardous and cause environmental damage when disposed of improperly.

This wastes is also referred to as e-waste. Poisoned workers, environmental damage, rising materials costs, and geopolitical tensions are some of the outcomes.

In addition, many electronic devices contain scarce or vaulable resources Gold, rare earth metals, etc. WEEE Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive addresses the complex issue of recycling waste electronics by improving the collection, treatment, and recycling of these materials at their end of life.

WEEE directive. org : "E-waste is the toxic legacy of our digital age". This strategy involved the separating of raw components of a product in order to recover the parts and materials. By doing so, parts and materials can be sorted correctly and thus increase the quantity of materials available for recycling and reuse, and reduce waste.

BMW : Report on Vehicle Recycling program. Describes in great detail the steps of the process. Video showing the process of dismantling, recycling, and reusing BMW cars.

The system most people are familiar with, recycling is defined as the use of materials from obsolete products to create other products. recycling decreases the demand for new raw materials, reduces energy consumption, reduces waste production, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions.

Different materials have different degrees of recyclability. When using recycled materials, designers need to consider the physical and aesthetic properties of the recycled materials, as well as cost. Aluminum for instance, doesn't degrade to the same degree as most plastics, and as such can be recycled quite easily and frequently and still maintain its desirable physical and aesthetic properties.

Most plastics, on the other hand, degrade during the recycling process, and their physical properties change. They can become less transparent, for example. Precious Plastic. Knowledge, tools and techniques are shared online, for free.

Dematerialization is the strategy of "doing more with less. Common examples include:. By practicing the "3 R's" of waste reduction—reduce, reuse, and recycle—we can all do our part. If you bring your lunch to school, package it in reusable containers instead of disposable ones.

Carry food in reusable plastic or cloth bags, and bring drinks in a thermos instead of disposable bottles or cartons. Read EPA's Pack a Waste Free Lunch guide for more tips. When buying lunch, grab only what you need. Too often extra ketchup packets and napkins go to waste.

Engage and motivate your coworkers to buy green products and help reduce waste. Learn more about how your office can go green. Check out these success stories for other ideas.

Citizens in every community can do many activities to work together and reduce waste. Each of us can make a difference by reducing, reusing, and recycling materials throughout our communities-and encouraging our neighbors to do the same.

Travelers create a lot of waste, even with the best intentions. Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, you can do a few simple things that will reduce your waste, conserve resources, and minimize the overall environmental impact of your visit.

Holidays are the best time to connect with family and friends, but parties and gift giving often creates extra waste. Learn what you can do to keep your holidays as green as possible.

Skip to main content. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Contact Us. Reducing Waste: What You Can Do. Related Resources. How do I recycle my?

Composting at Home Household Hazardous Waste Frequent Questions on Recycling Resources for Businesses, States and Local Governments. Tips for Home The best place to start making a difference is right in your own home. Lawn and Garden Learn to compost at home. Use food scraps, yard trimmings, and other organic wastes to create a compost pile.

Adding the compost you make to soil increases water retention, decreases erosion, and keeps organic materials out of landfills. Raise the cutting height of your lawnmower during hot summer months to keep grass roots shaded and cooler, reducing weed growth, browning, and the need for watering.

If you need large lawn and garden equipment such as tillers and chainsaws, you can reduce waste and save money by setting up a sharing program with your neighbors. The clippings will return nutrients to the soil instead of taking up space in landfills. Donate healthy plants that you want to replace to community gardens, parks and schools.

If you have a wood burning fireplace, save your ashes instead of throwing them away. Once cooled, wood ashes can be mixed into your compost heap and provide nutrients to your garden. Home Improvement Use insulation made from recycled paper, glass, and other recovered materials. Clean and properly store tools, toys and outdoor furniture to protect them from damage and keep them out of landfills.

Turn off or unplug lights during the day. Doing so will save energy and help your lights last longer. Storms can cause power outages. Prevent waste by keeping rechargeable batteries for your flashlights. If you do use disposable batteries, reduce hazardous waste by buying ones with low mercury content.

When moving, use old newspapers to wrap fragile materials. Use moving boxes with the highest content of recycled paper and bubble wrap containing recycled plastic. Be sure to recycle packaging materials after your move.

Many organizations, such as U-Haul, have places where you can drop of unused boxes for others to reuse. Look for household hazardous waste collection days in your community to properly dispose of cleaners, paints, automotive supplies and other hazardous items.

For cleaning chores, buy reusable mops, rags and sponges. Tips for Students and Schools Students, parents, and teachers can all make a difference in reducing waste at school. Green School Supplies Think green before you shop.

Many items can be reused or recycled. Purchase and use school supplies made from recycled products, such as pencils made from old blue jeans and binders made from old shipping boxes. Keep waste out of landfills by using school supplies wrapped in minimal packaging, and buying in bulk when possible.

Save packaging, colored paper, egg cartons and other items for arts and crafts projects. Look for other ways that you can reduce the amount of packing that you throw away.

Maintain new school supplies. Keep track of pens and pencils. Make an effort to put your things in a safe place every day.

This will not only reduce waste, but save you money in the long run. In the Cafeteria If you bring your lunch to school, package it in reusable containers instead of disposable ones. Remember to recycle your cans and bottles after you finish eating. Work with your teachers to set up a composting program at school.

Make posters that remind students what can be composted or recycled. Tips for Work Engage and motivate your coworkers to buy green products and help reduce waste. In the Office Instead of printing hard copies of your documents, save them to your hard drive or email them to yourself to save paper.

Make your printer environmentally friendly. Change your printer settings to make double-sided pages. Pay your bills via e-billing programs when possible to save paper. Use paperclips over staples when possible. Reuse envelopes with metal clasps and reuse file folders by sticking a new label over the previous one.

Green Purchasing at Work Purchase recycled paper and keep a recycling bin nearby your desk.

Official Waste reduction strategies use. Waste reduction strategies A. gov website belongs to an official government organization Wasge the United States. gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. JavaScript appears to be disabled on this computer. Please click here to see any active alerts.

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Proper Waste Management - How waste reduction and recycling help our environment Reducing Supportive of local food artisans you waste and reusing items strtaegies much recuction possible Supportive of local food artisans a great way to reduce your impact on the environment. Reeduction thinking Waste reduction strategies about what you strategiew, to refilling water bottles strateyies using strategiies for life, to composting at strategiea - there are lots of ways to make a real difference. Have a go at replacing buttons and mending faulty zips or fallen hems rather than buying new clothing. Buy items that will have a longer life than disposable items, such as rechargeable batteries and use real crockery and cutlery for your parties instead of disposable ones. To find out more about reducing your food waste, visit the Love Food Hate Waste website. To find out more about reducing the environmental impact of your wardrobe, visit the Love Your Clothes website. Skip to main content.