So does "Reuse". If a take a throwaway plastic bag & reuse it 4x, I have reduced its waste footprint to 1/5th of the use-once scenario.
Only recycling doesn't do this. It defers the waste problem to 3rd parties, which may or may not do what one would hope they do. That's... kind of weak.
Which is why I go for the reduce option if possible. Whenever I'm about to buy something, I ask myself: do I need this? How am I going to use this? (vs. what could I potentially, possibly, one day, do with it). No clear answer to these questions = no buy. Environmental footprint of an item can weigh into such decisions.
It's a simple approach, but produces a surprising difficult hurdle in most cases.
Food purchases pass this hurdle 0 problem. For other things, "because I want it, got the money, my choice" (usually) doesn't cut it any more. Buying a winter coat 50% off won't cut it when it's mid summer & you've got an old but good winter coat sitting ready.