How do you calculate waste recycling rate?

Measuring your progress will help you track your company's performance and give staff and management concrete proof of the efforts.

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Determine your recycling and garbage quantities

Using the three steps below, calculate how much you recycle each month.

1. Determine the size of your outdoor recycling container(s). To get this information, look in your monthly invoices/reports or call your recycling collection service.
2. Determine the number of times your outdoor recycling container is emptied each month.
3. Calculate your monthly recycling quantity.

For example, if your recycling container is eight cubic yards and it is emptied four times each month, you recycle 32 cubic yards per month (8 x 4 = 32).

To determine the volume of garbage disposed by your organization each month, use the same three steps above, using your garbage container(s) instead of recycling container(s).

Determine your recycling rate

Divide your monthly recycling quantity by the total amount of solid waste you generate. Use the same unit(s) of measurement (gallons, yards, pounds or tons) for both recyclables and garbage. If your recycling quantity is four cubic yards per month and your garbage quantity is six cubic yards per month, then your organization generates ten cubic yards of solid waste per month, and its recycling rate is 40 percent.

percent recycled = [pounds recycled / (pounds recycled + pounds garbage)] x 100
40% = [4 / (4 + 6) ] x 100

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Contact us to discuss your requirements of Recycling Equipment for Sorting Waste. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Calculating waste generation per employee

Another way to assess your waste reduction and recycling efforts is to monitor the amount of waste generated and waste disposed (garbage) per employee. The end result (numbers) will vary considerably from one business type to another. The important thing to pay attention to is what your numbers do over time. The more efficiently a business uses its raw materials (including office paper), the less it wastes. The calculations necessary for monitoring waste generation per employee are presented below.

waste generated per employee = pounds of waste generated / number of employees
waste disposed per employee = pounds of waste disposed / number of employees

The key to this calculation is understanding the difference between waste generated and waste disposed. Waste generated includes all solid waste materials that a facility is not able to incorporate into their internal processes and thus must be sent out as either garbage or recyclables. Waste disposed includes only that portion of the waste that is being disposed as garbage (going to a landfill).

Remember, the goal of this calculation is to provide you with information that can guide your company's internal policy. This information will most likely not result in data that can be compared or applied to that of another business, unless that business is in the same industry.

There are three different ways to do a waste audit:

1. Conduct a waste audit internally
2. Ask your waste hauler to conduct an audit
3. Outsource an external waste audit company who is not associated with your waste hauler

The most cost effective option is usually to conduct the waste audit yourself; here is an overview of some best practices to get you started:

• Select a team of employees who will be responsible for the audit
• Communicate the program to the custodial staff so they know ahead of time what is required of them
• Conduct the waste audit over a 3-day period, typically Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
• Use clear bags so that the contents can be seen
• Label each bag with the room and floor where they were collected
• During the 3-day period, collect all bags in one central area
• Record the weight of each bag and where it was collected from (written on bag labels)
• Visually assess recycling contamination and write notes for contaminants found in the bags

Calculating your waste diversion rate:

Collect all the data from your waste audit. Having labeled each bag you will get a very detailed picture of what is happening within different areas of your business. This can be used for analysis at a later time. You now have the total weight of recycling, compost and garbage collected by your organization. Use the following formula to work out your waste diversion rate: Once you have your current waste diversion rate, you can set diversion rate targets for your organization. Then implement the best practices such as:

1. Ensuring you communicate your program throughout your organization,
2. Using clear instructional graphics to increase user adoption rates and
3. Making sure your custodial staff are on board with your program.

These help ensure your program constantly evolves and improves on your journey to the ultimate goal of zero waste. For more information on increasing diversion rates read our case study that shows how a

Waste diversion rate is one of the KPI&#;s in a successful recycling program, it represents the amount of waste that is diverted from landfill for recycling. When looking to improve the success of your recycling program it is critical to know your current waste diversion rate as a benchmark. The first step in finding out your current rate is to conduct a waste audit.The most cost effective option is usually to conduct the waste audit yourself; here is an overview of some best practices to get you started:Collect all the data from your waste audit. Having labeled each bag you will get a very detailed picture of what is happening within different areas of your business. This can be used for analysis at a later time. You now have the total weight of recycling, compost and garbage collected by your organization. Use the following formula to work out your waste diversion rate:Once you have your current waste diversion rate, you can set diversion rate targets for your organization. Then implement the best practices such as:These help ensure your program constantly evolves and improves on your journey to the ultimate goal of zero waste. For more information on increasing diversion rates read our case study that shows how a High school in Ontario increased their diversion rates by using instructional graphics and specific recycling containers that support multiple streams.

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