Source reduction

Source reduction is activities designed to reduce the volume, mass, or toxicity of products throughout the life cycle. It includes the design and manufacture, use, and disposal of products with minimum toxic content, minimum volume of material, and/or a longer useful life.
The term is also used to describe measures to reduce or eliminate breeding places for disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Synonyms

Pollution prevention and toxics use reduction are also called source reduction because they address the use of hazardous substances at the source.

Examples

Reusable packaging - for example the use of a reusable shopping bag at the grocery store; although it uses more material than a single-use disposable bag, the material per use is less.
Overpackaging - Some packaging uses more materials than is necessary for product containment and protection. Redesign can often reduce the size and materials usage in packaging.

Procedures

Source reduction is achieved through improvements in design, production, use, reuse, recycling, and through environmentally preferable purchasing. A Life-cycle assessment is useful to help choose among several alternatives and options.