TABLE OF CONTENTS Harold Leverenz
Whenever a consumer or establishment takes part in an activity that reduces the amount and/or toxicity of waste which otherwise would have been generated, they are participating in source reduction. Because of the economic and environmental advantages associated with generating less waste, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized source reduction as one of the most important approaches to deal with the increasing waste disposal and pollution problems in the United States (U.S. EPA, 1989). The purpose of this chapter is: (1) to define source reduction and the relevant terminology, (2) to provide a description of source reduction efforts and their potential impact on solid waste management, (3) to present a framework for developing a source reduction program, and (4) to describe strategies for source reduction.
According to the U.S. EPA (1999a), per capita waste generation rates in the United States have risen from 2.68 lb per person per day in 1960 to 4.44 lb per person per day in 1997. While the waste generation rate continues to increase, the recycling rate has increased to what appears to be a plateau of about 30 percent. Without some government intervention, it is unlikely that recycling rates will get much higher given the economic and environmental costs of solid waste management and the enormous quantities of waste generated in our society.
In recent years source reduction, also known as waste prevention, has been gaining more attention in the United States and around the world. The goal...
