Background: According to the "waste hierarchy" (reduce, reuse, recycle), the most effective means of reducing waste is to prevent waste in the first place (e.g., avoiding products with excessive packaging; consuming fewer products), followed by reusing or finding new uses for items, while recycling is the least effective strategy for reducing waste. While public awareness of waste-related problems is growing and recycling rates are increasing in many countries, there has been less progress in reduce and reuse behaviors. The purpose of this study was to investigate housewives characteristics on reduce, reuse, recycle (3R) behaviors of domestic waste management. Subjects and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study located in 15 sub-districts in Medan, North Sumatera, Indonesia. A sample of 277 housewives was selected by purposive sampling. The dependent variable was reduce, reuse, and recyle behavior. The independent variables were knowledge and education. The data were collected by questionnaire and analyzed by Chi square test. Results: As many as 44.4% of housewives had a good understanding of 3R domestic waste management, but only 13.3% of them housewives applied it well. Poor knowledge (OR= 0.54; 95% CI= 0.29 to 0.99; p= 0.063) and low education (OR= 0.55; 95% CI= 0.18 to 1.64; p=0.39) reduced 3R behavior of domestic waste management in housewives. Conclusion: Poor knowledge and low education reduce 3R behavior of domestic waste management in housewives.