The ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ Waste Hierarchy

If you have heard of something called the “waste hierarchy” you may be wondering what that means. It is the order
of priority of actions to be taken to reduce the amount of waste generated, and to improve overall waste
management processes and programs. The waste hierarchy consists of 3 R’s as follows:
 Reduce * reuse *recycle
Called the “three R’s” of waste management, this waste hierarchy is the guidance suggested for creating a
sustainable life. You might be wondering as to how can you incorporate these principles in your daily life. They are
not hard to implement. All you need is to bring a small change in your daily lifestyle to reduce waste so that less
amount of it goes to the landfill that can reduce your carbon footprint.

Reducing, reusing and recycling are important because they decrease the amount of waste on the planet and
preserve natural resources by maintaining space and cutting down on landfills. Reducing, reusing and recycling
reduce consumption of new materials and save energy.

“The three R’s – reduce, reuse and recycle – all help to cut down on the amount of waste we throw away. They
conserve natural resources, landfill space and energy. Plus, the three R’s save land and money communities must
use to dispose of waste in landfills. Siting a new landfill has become difficult and more expensive due to
environmental regulations and public opposition.”
The 3 Rs of the environment are: recycle, reduce and reuse. But, why are they important?
Here are the top reasons why these three concepts are important for making the Earth a better place.
Defining the 3 Rs
To recycle, reduce and reuse provides environmentally-friendly ways to reduce negative impacts of growing
amounts of waste on the natural environment. “Reduce” refers to the reduction of waste during production
processes such as manufacturing. “Reuse” also helps reduce waste by using items multiple times before
discarding them, if at all. To “recycle” means to take a used material and remanufacture it to sell new.
The Impact of Recycle, Reduce, and Reuse
The result of doing all three of these behaviours is a vast reduction in waste. The effects of less waste are positive
for the environment, human health, and the economy. For example, these 3 R practices can help to extend the use
of natural resources so that they are not used at a faster pace than the world population is increasing.
With current systems, many places have poor water quality, and virgin resources are depleting quickly, such as
iron and copper. That is why many businesses around the world are beginning to seek out renewable energy
sources, as well as strategies to increase energy efficiency.
If people continue to discard waste without using recycle, reduce and reuse strategies, there are major health
risks. People who live near dumpsites, example are exposed to smoke from PCBs and HIV from hospital waste. As
well, waste disposal is linked to greenhouse gas emissions, which is hazardous to our health.
Making a Change
It is more important than ever to reduce the amount of natural resources being used in manufacturing processes,
as well as increasing recycling rates and reusing materials. Given the benefits of the recycle, reduce and reuse,
the goal of more and more governments is to adopt an approach that integrates the 3 Rs within it.

Recycling benefits the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving natural resources and
putting less pressure on landfills. Recycling at the individual level has environmental benefits, such as reducing
contamination of streams and waterways. However, industrial recycling efforts significantly reduce the volume of
pollutants in the water and air by limiting the need for energy associated with manufacturing processes.
1. Ozone Depletion, Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming:
2. Desertification:
3. Deforestation:
4. Loss of Biodiversity:
5. Disposal of Wastes:

The high energy consumption and high population densities of the urban societies give rise to large quantities of

waste water and sewage as well as household rubbish. Industrialization and urbanization are the main causes of

domestic, industrial and nuclear wastes.

The contaminated water supplies cause many diseases of epidemic nature. The industrial waste consists of

chemicals, detergents, metals and synthetic compounds besides the solid waste and garbage. Thousands of

tonnes of mercury, nitrogen, phosphorus, cadmium, lead, zinc and other waste is dumped every day in the river

and sea waters.

The increased nuclear fuel is becoming as one of the sources of non-conventional energy. The nuclear waste

contains radioactive isotopes which generate large quantities of heat. The domestic, industrial and nuclear wastes

are serious health hazards and may endanger the biosphere as well.

Industrial waste, pesticides and herbicides enter the waterways through dumping as well as runoff from farms and

homes. Many rivers of India including the long seashore are the victims of this disposal of waste. Because of

dumping of heavy waste, it is now very difficult to get a cup of totally uncontaminated water from the so-called

sacred rivers like Ganga and Yamuna. Inadequate system of solid waste disposal causes adverse impact on health,

infant mortality and the birth rate.

The Republic Act (RA) 9003-Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) Act of 2000 of the Philippines provides the mandate
and framework for solid waste management in the country. The implementation however on the local government units
reflects the lack of institutional arrangements for waste management.
We are born from the earth, we return to the earth and we sustain by the earth. Hence the environment in which we live is very
important and it directly affects our lives. It is said that man is the product of his environment. Environmental problem is a
global concern. It has no boundary. Around the world; efforts are being made to make people aware about environmental
protection. One of the main causes of environmental degradation is improper management in the disposal of solid waste. It is
a major cause of pollution and outbreak of diseases in many parts of the world. There is no permanent solution for
environmental problems, only thing we can reduce and control waste generation by proper awareness and practice. Proper
management of the waste generated is most important in this matter. Waste management is a science that addresses the
logistics, environmental impact, social responsibility and cost of an organizations’ waste disposal. Solid Waste Management
(SWM) has 3 basic components namely collection, transportation and disposal. Comprehensive solid waste management
incorporates a diverse range of activities including reduction, recycling, segregation, modification, treatment and disposal
which have varying levels of sophistication (Zagozewski et al, 2011). The objective of SWM is to reduce the quantity of solid
waste disposed off on land by recovery of materials and energy from solid waste in a cost effective and environmental
friendly manner (MF, 2009). It is estimated that 1, 60000 MT (Metric Tonne) of municipal solid waste is generated daily in India.
According to the 2001 census, per capita waste generation in India is 0.5 Kg/day (Vinod & Venugopal, 2010). Waste
management activities generate potential environmental benefits if managed properly (Gentil et al, 2009). There has been
hardly any effort in the past to create community awareness, either about the likely perils due to poor waste management or
the simple steps that every citizen can take. This could have helped in reducing waste generation and promote effective
waste management. But this scenario has changed. Nowadays more and more people are taking interest in environmental
issues, as they have started to experience the ill-effects of ecological issues. Now environmental education is welcomed by
all categories of people. It is an attempt to reorient education so that environmental competence is restored as one of its
basic aims along with personal and social competence (Shobeiri et al, 2007). Environmental problems are many. It is
mounting high with new problems like disposal of e-waste. E-waste is a collective terminology for the entire stream of
electronic equipment such as TV, refrigerators, telephones, air conditioners, computers, mobile phones etc. that has reached
its End of Life (EOL) for its current user. Such devices are generally considered toxic when disassembled or incinerated and
are typically targeted for hazardous disposal or are slated for necessary recovery and reuse (MF, 2009). Hygiene starts from
home. Our household waste accounts for major amount of solid rubbish. Some are reusable and others non-reusable. All
these constitute megatons of municipal wastes. If it is not properly disposed off, the consequences are dangerous (Yadav &
Mishra, 2004). So there is an urgent need to streamline and sensitize young minds to the environmental problems and
concerns. It is the education which makes human beings knowledgeable to environment and problems related to it. Students
must have awareness about environmental problems so that they can play their role very effectively in proper waste
management (Tartiu, 2011). Hence this study was an attempt to know how far the school students are aware and practicing
proper waste management? 2. Materials and Methods A questionnaire was given to 300 students selected randomly from a
group of one thousand. The study was carried out at a high school and higher secondary school for girls in Thrissur, Kerala.
Purpose and method of the study was explained to the students, teachers and parents to get their consent. The instrument of
research was a validated selfadministered questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed to assess students’ knowledge,
attitude and practice on waste management at home. The questionnaire included ten questions related to awareness, five
questions each regarding practice and attitude in waste management. The education level of students was categorized as
high school and higher secondary. The results in two categories were evaluated. The data was analyzed by descriptive
statistics and student t-test using SPSS (version 16). p value less than 0.05 is considered as significant. 3. Results and
Discussion The sample represented 133 (44.5%) high school and 167 (55.5%) higher secondary students between the age
group of 13-17 years. In that, 155 (52%) students were from rural area and 145 (48%) from urban side. Among them 52 (17%)
were from joint family and 248 (83%) from nuclear family. Results showed that most of the high school students have
attended awareness programs as compared to higher secondary students (p=0.004). High school students are well aware of
principles of waste minimization and the role of local authorities in waste management, segregation of wastes, effective
mechanism for house hold waste management, complication of improper waste management and eager to know about
environmental problems (p0.05, Table 2). Towards attitude, both groups have responded positively for minimizing the house
hold waste (p>0.05, Table 3). Whether students are from joint family or nuclear family there is no significant difference in their
awareness, practice and attitude (p>0.05). A large amount of solid wastes are generated from homes. Household waste is a
major source of solid waste. The quantity of solid waste grows faster than population (Vinod & Venugopal, 2010). Solid waste
disposal has been identified as a major cause of pollution and environmental threat globally and very specially to God’s own
country, Kerala. In spite of the higher literacy rate and well developed educational systems and status in the state, there is
lack of practicing proper waste management among Keralites, whether young or old. The findings of the present study have
made it clear that they are well aware of the importance of waste management. But they are lacking in the practice of proper
waste management. This study findings support the studies conducted by Ifegbesan (2008). We found that there are serious
drawbacks in the practiceng of proper waste management among higher secondary school students as compared with high
school students. This may be due to insufficient motivation from parents and teachers at this stage of growth period when
they are preoccupied with preparation of qualifying examinations for future studies. This study revealed a most noteworthy
and an eye opening situation prevailing in families .
4. Conclusion In conclusion giving social duty awareness along with waste management awareness may improve the practice
of waste management. Awareness program of waste management is greatly needed for parents also. This can be given in the
schools during parent teacher meetings or in community based programs. For this purpose, education departments of the
states/ country can implement environmental education programs to the teachers at all levels of education.