Editing Waste hierarchy (section)

==History==

The waste hierarchy is a concept of environmental literature and some EU member-states environmental legislation but before the [waste framework directive] of 2008 was not part of the European legislation. The waste framework directive of 1975 had no reference to a waste hierarchy.<ref>(Directive 75/442/EEC)</ref> 

In 1975, The European Union's [[Waste Framework Directive]] (1975/442/EEC) introduced for the first time the elements of the waste hierarchy concept into European waste policy.<ref name=ECWaste>{{cite web|author=European Commission |date=2014 |title=EU Waste Legislation |url=http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/legislation/a.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312223737/http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/legislation/a.htm |archive-date=March 12, 2014 }}</ref> It emphasized the importance of [[waste minimization]], and the [[Environmental protection|protection of the environment]] and [[human health]], as a priority. Following the 1975 Directive, European Union policy and legislation adapted to the principles of the waste hierarchy.

Fundamental to the waste hierarchy concept is "Lansink's Ladder", named after the Member of the [[States General of the Netherlands|Dutch Parliament]], Ad Lansink, who proposed it in 1979 to be incorporated into Dutch policy in 1993.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.adlansink.nl/voorbeeld-pagina/|title=Ladder van Lansink|website=Ad Lansink's Website|date=5 June 2014 |language=nl|access-date=2020-02-21}}</ref>

In 1989, it was formalized into a hierarchy of management options in the European Commission's Community Strategy for Waste Management and this waste strategy was further endorsed in the Commission's review in 1996.<ref name=GOV.UK>{{cite web|author=Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs|title=Guidance on Applying the Waste Hierarchy|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-applying-the-waste-hierarchy |publisher=gov.uk |access-date=2016-05-19}}</ref>

In the first legislative proposals of 2006 the [[European Commission]] suggested a 3-step hierarchy composed of 1- Prevention and Reuse, 2- Recycling and Recovery (with [[incineration]]) and 3- Disposal. This was heavily criticised because it was putting recycling at the same level of incineration which was coherent with the traditional pro-incineration position from the European Commission. The pressure from NGOs and member states managed to turn the initial non-binding 3-step hierarchy into a quasi-binding 5-step hierarchy.

In 2008, the European Union introduced a new ''five-step waste hierarchy'' to its waste legislation, Directive 2008/98/EC, which member states must introduce into national waste management laws.<ref name=ECWaste/> Article 4 of the directive lays down a five-step hierarchy of waste management options which must be applied by Member States in this priority order.<ref name=ECWaste/>  Waste prevention, as the preferred option, is followed by reuse, recycling, recovery including [[energy recovery]] and as a last option, safe disposal. Among engineers, a similar hierarchy of waste management has been known as ARRE strategy: avoid, reduce, recycle, eliminate.<ref name="lienig">{{Cite book|author=J. Lienig|author2=H. Bruemmer|title=Fundamentals of Electronic Systems Design|pages=197|publisher=Springer International Publishing|date=2017|isbn=978-3-319-55839-4|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-55840-0}}</ref>