Guidance on the Waste Hierarchy

March 5, 2025
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Waste of any kind can have a detrimental impact on the environment if not recycled or disposed of properly. When waste is sent to landfill the resources used to produce it are wasted, dangerous greenhouse gases are emitted and harmful chemicals can leech into the ground contaminating the soil and water. There is also a financial element that cannot be ignored as waste that is not reduced or recycled where possible, can cost businesses notable amounts of money, both in terms of wasted resources and the cost of proper disposal.

In an attempt to reduce the amount of waste produced, the government has taken steps to encourage a more circular economy. Legislation such as the Environment Act 2021 and the introduction of new regulations regarding food waste separation, seek to change attitudes around waste, reduce its production and increase the amount of waste that is recycled. This is further supported by the waste hierarchy. In the UK it is a legal requirement for businesses and organisations to apply the waste hierarchy when managing waste. Section 12 of the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 requires businesses to take all available measures to apply the waste hierarchy in priority order. 

In this article, we will outline what the waste hierarchy is and explore its different elements. We will also offer guidance on how you can apply the waste hierarchy in your business and provide a free downloadable waste hierarchy poster. 

What is the Waste Hierarchy?

The waste hierarchy is a means to rank waste prevention and management options according to what is best for the environment. It serves as a guide to manage waste in a more sustainable manner by prioritising reduction and recycling over disposal. 

The concept of a waste hierarchy was first introduced in 1975 in the European Union’s (EU) Waste Framework Directive. The directive highlighted the importance of waste minimisation, the protection of the environment and human health. The directive has gone through many iterations since then and in 2008 the EU produced a revised Waste Framework Directive that introduced the five-step waste hierarchy now used. The UK is no longer a part of the EU and therefore no longer subjected to the same environmental legislations. However, the waste hierarchy is entrenched in UK law and under the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011, businesses have a legal obligation to apply the priority order of the waste hierarchy.   

As well as the severe damage that improper waste disposal can cause, along with the reputational damage should customers discover improper practices, failure to comply with the application of the waste hierarchy can lead to legal repercussions such as fines or other penalties.

Waste Hierarchy Pyramid

Many of us have heard of the 3Rs of environmental protection; reduce, reuse, recycle. Thought to have been first introduced in the 1970s, the phrase has encouraged swathes of people to pause before throwing something away and consider if they could instead reduce, reuse or recycle their waste. The waste hierarchy pyramid can be seen as an evolution of the 3Rs and in fact still includes them within it. 

The waste hierarchy pyramid is a five-step inverted pyramid that ranks waste management options according to their impact on the environment. The pyramid gives top priority to the reduction (also referred to as the prevention) of waste creation in the first place, before moving through the chain of preferred options. If the creation of waste cannot be reduced or prevented, then priority should be placed on reusing the waste. The pyramid continues in this fashion with the last and therefore least desirable option being disposal.

There are numerous different streams of waste such as household waste, clinical waste, industrial waste and hazardous waste. Each waste stream can then be broken down into smaller streams. For example, household waste can include food waste, paper waste and general waste amongst others. The waste hierarchy represents the order of priority that should be applied to all types of waste. This means that there is no one set method for each step of the hierarchy as the appropriate method can depend on the particular waste stream. For example, the reduction stage for industrial waste might include making design changes so that less waste is produced during construction. Comparatively, in a restaurant, the reduction stage for food waste may include changing a recipe to use seasonal ingredients or using leftovers for sides or bar snacks. 

The five-steps of the waste hierarchy are:

Reduce

Also referred to as prevention, this is the first and most preferred method for waste management and refers to businesses’ reducing the amount of waste that is produced in the first place. In order to do this businesses should explore ways to reduce waste at the source such as changing product design or introducing efficiency measures so that as much of the initial resources are used as possible. 

Reuse

If the creation of waste cannot be prevented or reduced, then the next best option is to reuse it. This stage encourages businesses to reuse materials wherever possible and includes checking, cleaning, repairing or refurbishing whole items or spare parts that have been discarded as waste, so that they can be used again. 

Recycle

The third preferred option is to recycle. In instances where waste production cannot be reduced or prevented and the waste cannot be reused, then it should be recycled. Businesses are encouraged to promote recycling and divert waste from landfills. This can include turning waste into a new material, such as turning food waste into compost. 

Recovery

The penultimate stage of the hierarchy is recovery. If businesses are unable to follow the previous steps, then they should explore recovery options such as waste-to-energy (WtE) processes. This can include incinerations with energy recovery, gasification and pyrolysis which produces energy (fuels, heat and power) and materials from waste. 

Disposal

Disposal is the least preferred option and should only be used as a last resort. It includes landfilling or incineration without any energy recovery.

We have created a waste hierarchy poster which you can download, print and display in your business. This can be used to reaffirm expectations around waste management and to reiterate your commitment to sustainability and environmental legal compliance. You can download the poster, here.

How to Apply the Waste Hierarchy

The waste hierarchy is more than just a selection of ‘nice to haves,’ it is entrenched in UK environmental law and as such must be followed. The easiest way to facilitate the application of the waste hierarchy is to ensure that all staff and visitors are aware of the preferred means of disposal. This can be achieved by printing and clearly displaying waste hierarchy posters throughout your business, especially near bins so that people are encouraged to pause before throwing something away and consider the other steps of the hierarchy. 

To support businesses in applying the waste hierarchy, the government advises that they ask themselves a set of questions to assess current practices. The questions can be applied to businesses that produce waste and those that handle or dispose of waste and are as follows:

  • What type of waste does my business or public body create/handle?
  • Is my business or public body dealing with waste in the best environmental way?
  • Could my business or public body send more waste to a business which can repair it/refurbish it/clean it so that it can eventually be re-used?
  • Could my business or public body recycle more waste materials e.g. by sorting it better?
  • Could any food or garden waste my business or public body handles be used for anaerobic digestion?
  • If not, can it be composted?

By asking these questions, a business can identify whether their current waste disposal efforts are enough, or if they need to adapt their techniques to be compliant with the law. The answers to these questions will provide a solid foundation upon which waste management techniques can be improved or maintained if they are already to standard. 

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Beyond the legal necessity, the waste hierarchy can also save businesses money whilst reducing their environmental impact. For example, the reduction/prevention stage of the hierarchy encourages businesses to find ways to reduce waste from being produced in the first place. If a business is able to do this successfully by changing a product design so that it uses more materials, thereby resulting in less wasted material, then the improved resource efficiency can save the business money. 

Other methods that can help in the application of the waste hierarchy include:

  • Conducting a waste audit – This enables you to see where waste is being generated in your business and then go about reducing its production. A waste audit is useful as it may highlight that the majority of the waste that you produce isn’t from where you expect, allowing you to then make better directed efforts to reduce or prevent waste being produced.
  • Displaying posters – Prominently displaying posters throughout your business reiterates the expectation that all employees and visitors follow the waste hierarchy. It encourages people to pause before throwing something away and consider the other steps of the pyramid. Posters can also be used to remind people to separate their waste, especially as the Environment Act 2021 has made it mandatory for food waste to be separated from other waste streams. Posters such as our waste separation posters and waste hierarchy posters serve as visual reminders of your business’ expectations regarding waste management.
  • Providing staff training – One of the best ways to ensure that employees adhere to environmental practices is to ensure they know why it’s important. When people are aware of the ‘why’ it makes it easier for them to follow relevant guidance/rules as they have a better understanding of the direct impact of their actions.  Our Environmental Awareness course helps employees to understand their responsibilities to work in a sustainable, environmentally friendly way and can support you in training your employees so that they understand and follow environmental practices that you have in place. 
  • Implementing environmental practices – Providing employees with training ensures they have the necessary toolkit to make the most sustainable decisions. Implementing business wide initiatives bolsters this and reiterates a company-wide commitment to acting more sustainably. This could include implementing practices that align with the waste hierarchy such as a recycling programme, or a monthly swap ‘n’ swap where people can bring in items that others at work may want or find use for, rather than throwing them away. 

The waste hierarchy is a five-step hierarchy that ranks waste management options from most preferable to least preferable. It takes into account the detrimental impact of landfills and incineration without energy recovery and encourages more environmentally friendly options instead, such as recycling or reducing the amount of waste produced in the first place. It is a legal requirement to implement the waste hierarchy when managing waste and doing so not only helps to protect the planet, it can also save businesses money through the adoption of more sustainable practices. 

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