Materials Recovery Heirarchy

The typical waste hierarchy refers to the 3Rs of reduce, reuse and recycle, which classify waste management strategies according to their desirability. The 3Rs are meant to be a hierarchy, in order of importance. Further developments on the original model include the addition of new levels of waste management including repair and disposal (see below)

The waste hierarchy has taken many forms over the past decade, but the basic concept has remained the cornerstone of most waste minimization strategies. The aim of the waste hierarchy is to extract the maximum practical benefits from products and to generate the minimum amount of waste.

At Close the Loop, we've taken a quantum leap and completely re-engineered the waste hierarchy to suit our class leading business practices and values. Close the Loop is NOT a waste management business we are a zero waste materials recovery business and as such, the old, traditional waste hierarchies are not suitable tools to measure our performance. For example, disposal or landfill is not an option for us. We view waste as a resource and therefore have a “materials recovery hierarchy” instead of a traditional waste hierarchy.

The Close the Loop materials recovery hierarchy (above) is used to track our performance by helping us measure how much (kg) of the inward goods we receive for recycling is upgraded and / or refined according to the various levels of the hierarchy. The higher up the waste hierarchy, the better Close the Loop's performance.