Management of Waste is a basic requirement of ecologically sustainable development. The amount of waste material the global society produces, and the way in which we manage it, has profound implications for the quality of the environment and for the prospects of future generations. There is a need to become more efficient in the way we use, recycle and dispose of materials, in order to minimise impacts on the environment, and reduce the rate at which resources are depleted.

Waste management options can be ranked in a hierarchy reflecting sustainability:

• Reduction
• Re-use
• Recovery
• Recycling
• Composting
• Energy
• Disposal

Raising awareness about the waste hierarchy, and how to achieve a shift in performance towards the top of the hierarchy, is key to bringing about a more sustainable approach to resource use and waste management.