Reuse
The next common strategy for source reduction is
reuse (see Table IIA). While only 37 percent of the
respondents said they either frequently or somewhat
frequently utilized reuse, 67.6 percent said
their firms asked their employees to separate
reusables from other waste. One explanation for
the lack of the reuse strategy is that it requires the
use of a product or part in its same form for the
same use, but wear and tear resulting from the
previous use may make many “non-durable”
products or parts unreusable. As such, reuse seems
to be restricted to more durable commodities, such
as pallets, cardboards, and paper (see Table IV,
page 14). The popularity of pallets for reuse may
be attributed to their sturdier design (e.g., “blockstyle”)
and ease of handling.