The "integrated solid waste management" (ISWM) concept was established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the early 1990s to expand existing solid waste management initiatives. Instead of focusing only on the disposal of solid waste, ISWM includes preventing waste, minimizing the initial generation of materials through source reduction, reusing and recycling, and composting to reduce the volume of materials being sent to landfills or incineration.