Waste Definitions

Recycle = process where material used in an item is re-processed into a new article; a generic term incorporating the concepts of reuse, reprocessing and recovery

Reuse = to reuse a product in its same state with minimal processing

Reprocess = the converting to waste into a different but similar product eg production of cardboard from waste paper

Resource Recovery = to direct products and materials from the waste stream for reuse recycling, energy generation or composting prior to their disposal

Reduce = a generic term incorporating the concepts of avoidance, reuse and recycling

Close loop recycling = when materials from a product are reprocessed to make the same product again

Open loop recycling = when materials from one product are reprocessed to make another product

Energy recovery = involves the generation of energy using many items that are currently sent to landfill as fuel

Disposal = last management option adopted only when all other environmentally acceptable avenues have been exhausted; includes methods such as putrescible landfill operations

Landfill = solid or liquid material disposed of by burial in the ground

Waste = made up of materials and energy which have become by-products of various human activities and for which we have no further use; may be discharged to air or water or deposited onto land

Waste avoidance = not creating waste in the first place, the elimination of waste at the source of production

Waste hierarchy = a model that allocates a level of priority for waste minimisation strategies according to their effectiveness

Waste management = administration and organisation of waste generation, collection, treatment and disposal practices

Waste minimisation = to reduce by recycling and prevention the volumes and toxicity of waste which must ultimately be disposed of

Waste prevention = the total concept of waste avoidance along with waste reduction

Waste reduction = reducing the amount of waste we produce including changes to a product or process to minimise the waste it produces

Virgin materials = any basic materials for industrial processing that have not been previously used, such as petroleum for plastics manufacture, iron ore for steel manufacture, wood pulp for paper manufacture, or bauxite ore for aluminium manufacture

Pre-consumer waste = scraps and trash created during the manufacturing process, such as paperboard trimmed away when making cartons

Post-consumer waste = used materials, such as empty detergent bottles and aluminium cans, that go into the trash if they are not recycled