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- 4 - <br /> <br />II. STRATEGY DESCRIPTIONS AND PRELIMINARY EVALUATION <br /> <br />A. WASTE REDUCTION <br /> <br />Waste reduction (or source reduction) involves controlling the quan- <br />tity of waste produced by changing product designs, consumer behavior <br />or both. The policies adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection <br />Agency (EPA), the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the <br />Metropolitan Council place the highest priority on waste reduction <br />methods of solid waste management. <br /> <br />Reducing the amount of waste could reduce: <br /> <br />- Product production costs <br /> <br />- Public expenditures for waste management <br /> <br />- The rate of resource consumption <br /> <br />- Potential adverse environmental impacts <br /> <br />Waste reduction works' as a solid waste management tool by preventing <br />waste where possible. Waste reduction is accomplished through re- <br />design of final products and packaging, increased product lifetime and <br />reduced consumption levels. Although waste reduction will, at best, <br />reduce the volume of solid waste 15 percent, waste reduction has been <br />given a favored status in solid waste management policies because the <br />total savings from disposal costs, reduced energy use and reduced <br />materials use are greater than those achieved through after-the-fact <br />recycling and energy recovery programs. <br /> <br />There are several approaches that can be used to reduce waste <br />generation at its source: <br /> <br />1) Container deposits <br /> <br />2) Packaging reduction <br /> <br />3) Office paper reduction <br /> <br />4) Product charges <br /> <br />5) Waste charges <br /> <br />6) Bans <br /> <br />7) Warranties <br /> <br />8) Newsprint conservation <br /> <br />9) Voluntary Waste reduction through public education <br /> <br /> <br />