Editing Waste hierarchy (section)

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
[[File:The waste hierarchy.jpg|thumb|477x477px|The waste management hierarchy starts from prevention and reduction actions.]]
[[Image:Waste hierarchy rect-en.svg|thumb|300px|Enhanced version of waste hierarchy]]
[[File:Recycling symbol.svg|thumb|The three chasing arrows of the international [[recycling symbol]]. It is sometimes accompanied by the text "reduce, reuse and recycle".]]
{{Short description|Tool to evaluate processes protecting the environment}} 
The '''waste management hierarchy''', '''waste hierarchy''', or "hierarchy of waste management options", is a [[tool#Non-material usage|tool]] used in the evaluation of processes that [[Environmental protection|protect the environment]] alongside [[resource consumption|resource]] and [[energy consumption]] from most favourable to least favourable actions.<ref name=Hansen>{{cite web|first1=Wenke |last1=Hansen |first2=Maria |last2=Christopher |first3 =Maic |last3=Verbuecheln |date=December 2002| title=EU Waste Policies and Challenges for Local and Regional Authorities|url=http://ecologic.eu/sites/files/download/projekte/1900-1949/1921-1922/1921-1922_background_paper_waste_en.PDF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617101229/https://www.ecologic.eu/sites/files/download/projekte/1900-1949/1921-1922/1921-1922_background_paper_waste_en.PDF|archive-date=17 June 2016}}</ref> The hierarchy establishes preferred program priorities based on [[sustainability]].<ref name=Hansen/>  To be sustainable, waste management cannot be solved only with technical end-of-pipe solutions and an integrated approach is necessary.<ref name=USEPA>{{cite web|author=Environmental Protection Agency |date=2013|title=Non-Hazardous Waste Management Hierarchy|url=http://www.epa.gov/waste/nonhaz/municipal/hierarchy.htm}}</ref>

The hierarchy indicates an order of preference for action to reduce and manage waste, and is usually presented diagrammatically in the form of a pyramid.<ref name=UNEP>{{cite book|author=United Nations Environmental Program |year=2013 |url=http://www.unep.org/ietc/Portals/136/Publications/Waste%20Management/UNEP%20NWMS%20English.pdf |title=Guidelines for National Waste Management Strategies Moving from Challenges to Opportunities|isbn=978-92-807-3333-4}}</ref> The hierarchy captures the progression of a material or product through successive stages of [[waste management]], and represents the latter part of the [[Product lifecycle|life-cycle for each product]].<ref name=UNEP/>

The aim of the waste hierarchy is to extract the maximum practical benefits from products and to generate the minimum amount of waste. The proper application of the waste hierarchy can have several benefits. It can help prevent [[Greenhouse gas emissions|emissions of greenhouse gases]], reduce pollutants, save energy, conserve resources, create jobs and stimulate the development of green technologies.<ref>{{cite web|author=Waste-to-Energy Research and Technology Council |date=2009|title=Waste Hierarchy|url=http://www.wtert.eu/default.asp?Menue=14&ShowDok=25}}</ref>