ABSTRACT
Policy options for encouraging waste reduction include use of regulations, use of fiscal incentives, and promotion of voluntary efforts. Efforts in toxicity reduction for municipal solid waste have focused on two areas-household hazardous waste and heavy metals. Lifetime increases reduce waste by reducing discards and replacement needs. Material reduction is a classic method of source reduction. There have been a subtantial number of changes in packaging that have resulted in waste reduction of this type, though the motivation for these changes has generally been economic rather than solid waste oriented. With the exception of beverage bottles, very few consumer packages are designed for reuse, and refillable beverage bottles have significantly decreased in use as a percentage of beverage packaging. The fewer products people believe they need and want, the fewer products and packages they dispose of, and the less waste they generate.
