Precycling

Precycling is the practice of reducing waste by attempting to avoid buying items which will generate waste into households or businesses. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that precycling is the preferred method of integrated solid waste management because it cuts waste at its source and therefore eliminates trash before it is created. According to the EPA, precycling is also characterized as a decision-making process for the consumer because it involves making informed judgments regarding a product's waste implications. The factors taken into consideration by the consumer include whether a product is reusable, durable, or repairable; made from renewable or non-renewable resources; overpackaged; and whether or not the container is reusable.

==About== Precycling has the ability to build industrial, social, environmental, and economic circumstances that allow for old products to be converted into new resources Industrial: increasing the independence from accumulative substances, such as heavy metals, fossil fuels, synthetics, etc. Economic: create a circular economy Ecological/environmental: allowance for more extensive and diverse natural habitats where the resources are returned to nature Societal: extend the capacity of precycling to meet everyone's needs The concept of ‘precycling’ was coined in 1988 by social marketing executive Maureen O’Rorke in a public waste education campaign for the City of Berkeley. The application of precycling is not limited to large corporations, but can be administered on smaller scales in local communities. The reason precycling is effective on large scales and on small scales stems from the idea that it shares a common language between experts and non-experts, buyers and sellers, economists and environmentalists. However, it is important to consider that waste prevention systems, such as precycling, require the collaborative effort from several working parts. These parts include prevention targets, producer responsibility, householder charging, funding for pilot projects, public involvement, engagement of private and third sectors, and public campaigns that spread awareness.