The idea of waste minimisation appearred for first time in the end of the 80s by the Environmental Protection Agency of USA (EPA). The waste minimisation includes the reduction of waste at the source which can be achieved through the modification of the raw materials, the activities and the products, as well as with the application of practices of good operation.

The recycling is also considered to be a way of waste minimisation, but it is less significant than the aforemention techniques.

On nowadays, the terms "waste minimisation" and "pollution prevention" are used alternative. The "pollution prevention" means to avoid to produce waste at the source, while the term "waste minimisation" is more general and includes also the recycling as well as other techniques of waste reduction before it is tranfered for final treatment. The waste minimisation refers to every sector of an industry.

The prevention is better than treatment. It should be noted that the closer to the source the waste miniisation is applied, the bigger will be the industry's profit. The waste management should be done accordingly to the following hierarchy:
Prevention: Optimum choice
Minimisation
Re-use
Recycling
Recovering
Processing
Disposal: Last choice

An industry in order to apply a waste minimisation practice, can modify the raw materials, the product and the processes, can use housekeeping practices, can re-use, recycle and recover some of the waste and the products.