reduce waste — cut down trash
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to use fewer things or be more careful so that less rubbish or unwanted material is produced
Say it like a native
Textbook We should endeavour to minimise the generation of refuse.
Native We should try to reduce waste.
'Minimise the generation of refuse' is jargon; 'reduce waste' is plain.
Pattern: reduce waste (by doing something)
In use
- Many people try to reduce waste by bringing their own bags to the supermarket.daily life
- One way to reduce waste in cities is to encourage people to compost food scraps instead of throwing them away.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ We need to reduce the wastes.
✓ We need to reduce waste.
'Waste' (rubbish) is uncountable — no 'the', no plural.
Common collocations
reduce waste— reduce waste, cut down on waste, reduce food waste, less waste
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'recycle', which means to process used materials. 'Reduce waste' is about creating less rubbish in the first place.