Editing Waste hierarchy (section)

== European Union ==
The '''European waste hierarchy''' refers to the five steps included in the article 4 of the [[Waste Framework Directive]]:<ref>Directive [2008/98/EC] of the European Parliament and of the Council on waste.</ref>

;[[waste prevention|Prevention]]: preventing and reducing waste generation.
;[[Reuse]] and preparation for reuse: giving the products a second life before they become waste. This might involve reusing the product as-is, or reuse with modification, such as repurposing, refurbishing and remanufacture.
;[[Recycle]]: any recovery operation by which waste materials are reprocessed into products, materials or substances whether for the original or other purposes. It includes [[compost]]ing and it does not include incineration.
;[[resource recovery|Recovery]]: some waste [[incineration]] that upgrades the less inefficient incinerators.
;[[waste management|Disposal]]: processes to dispose of waste be it [[landfill]]ing, [[incineration]], [[pyrolysis]], gasification and other finalist solutions.

According to the [[Waste Framework Directive]] the European Waste Hierarchy is legally binding except in cases that may require specific waste streams to depart from the hierarchy. This should be justified on the basis of life-cycle thinking.