Waste Management Methods

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed a hierarchy of waste management
methods that is to be used to guide generators toward waste minimization, which is a major
component of pollution prevention:

Source Reduction—to reduce the amount of waste at the source through:

 Material elimination
 Inventory control and management
 Material substitution
 Process modification
 Improved housekeeping
 Return of unused material to supplier

Recycling/Reuse—to recycle and reuse material for the original or some other purpose, such as
materials recovery or energy production; this may to onsite or offsite.
 Reuse
 Reprocess
 Underground injection for enhanced recovery
 Use as fuel
 Reclaim
 Road spreading

Treatment—destroys, detoxify, and neutralize waste into less harmful substances through:
 Filtration
 Chemical treatment
 Biological treatment
 Thermal treatment
 Extraction
 Chemical Stabilization
 Incineration
 Land farming
 Land spreading

Disposal—dispose of wastes through:

 Landfills
 NPDES discharge
 Solidification
 Burial
 Underground injection for disposal