The concept of waste prevention has been embraced by all OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)countries as a key element of a strategy aiming for sustainable development. Nonetheless, aggregate waste amounts have increased substantially throughout the OECD area in the last 20 years. Noteworthy trends include: a) increasing quantities of chemically complex products and hence residues generated during the production, distribution and consumption of the products; b) municipal waste amounts that continue to grow in proportion to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and private consumption expenditures; c) the continued need for significant investments simply to manage wastes; and d) the fact that the majority of generated wastes continue to go to landfills, the least-preferred option for dealing with wastes.
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