Waste mitigation strategies 2.2

Topic 2 Resource management and sustainability

Pollution

Anything that harms or disturbs the environment or living things by introducing harmful substances or energy.

Waste

Unwanted or unused material, often produced during manufacturing

Waste mitigation strategies

Strategies used to reduce the waste produced by a product or in the production and disposal of a product. Waste mitigation strategies can reduce or eliminate the volume of material disposed to landfills.

Prevention

The most effective waste mitigation strategy. It means avoiding waste before it’s created

Dematerialization

The reduction of total material and energy throughout of any product or service

Product recovery strategies

The process of separating the component parts of a product to recover the parts and materials

Recovery of raw materials

Strategies for the separation of components of a product in order to recover raw materials. For example melting down aluminum cans to make new cans.

Recycle

Recycling refers to using the MATERIALS from obsolete products to create other products

Re-use

Reuse of a PRODUCT in the same or different context. Finding a different purpose for a product that has served it’s time being what it was created for

Repair

The reconstruction or renewal of any part of an existing structure or device

Recondition

Rebuilding a product so that it is in an “as new” condition and is generally used in the context of car engines and tires (refurbish for furniture)

Re-engineer

To redesign components or products to improve their characteristics or performance

Linear economy

An economy based on the make, use, dispose model

Circular economy

An economy model in which resources remain in use for as long as possible, from which maximum value is extracted while in use, and the products and materials are recovered and regenerated at the end of the product life cycle.