Question 1

What is a waste diversion rate?

Accepted Answer

Waste diversion rate is the percentage of total waste that is redirected from landfill through recycling, composting, reuse, or waste-to-energy. For example, if your business generates 100 tons of waste and 65 tons are recycled, your diversion rate is 65%. It's the primary metric used by municipalities, sustainability frameworks, and ESG reports to measure recycling performance.

Question 2

What's a good diversion rate for a business?

Accepted Answer

It depends on your industry and waste composition. National average is around 32%. A well-designed program should target: 60-80% for retail and distribution, 50-70% for offices, 60-85% for manufacturing, and 40-60% for healthcare. Our clients average 85% after program implementation.

Question 3

How do I find out my current diversion rate?

Accepted Answer

A waste audit. We physically assess your waste streams — either through a hands-on sort or visual/volumetric assessment — to determine what you're generating, what's recyclable, and what's currently going to landfill. The audit establishes your baseline and identifies improvement opportunities.

Question 4

What materials are easiest to divert?

Accepted Answer

In order of ease: scrap metal (100% recyclable, commodity value), cardboard (established markets, often revenue-positive at volume), pallets (free pickup, three-tier processing), paper (established mills), plastics (clean sorted streams), and organics (composting or anaerobic digestion). Metals and cardboard are usually the first wins.

Question 5

Does my city require a specific diversion rate?

Accepted Answer

An increasing number of cities and states have diversion mandates. San Francisco requires 75% diversion. California SB 1383 mandates organic waste diversion. Portland targets 85%. New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont have commercial recycling and organics mandates. Check your local requirements or contact us — we track these mandates across all our service areas.

Question 6

How long does it take to improve diversion?

Accepted Answer

Quick wins (adding metal and cardboard streams) can improve diversion 15-30 points within the first month. Full program implementation — including audit, design, deployment, training, and optimization — typically takes 4-8 weeks. Most clients reach their target diversion rate within 3-6 months.

Question 7

What's the difference between recycling rate and diversion rate?

Accepted Answer

Recycling rate measures only materials sent to recycling facilities. Diversion rate is broader — it includes recycling, composting, reuse, donation, and waste-to-energy. Diversion rate gives a more complete picture of your waste management performance because it captures all alternatives to landfill.

Question 8

Can diversion save money?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In most markets, recycling is cheaper per ton than landfill disposal. Additionally, right-sizing containers eliminates "hauling air" (paying for empty space), and some materials (metals, clean OCC, pallets) generate revenue. Our clients typically see 20-35% reduction in total waste management costs.

Question 9

What role does contamination play?

Accepted Answer

Contamination is the #1 reason recycling programs underperform. When non-recyclable items are mixed with recyclables (food in paper bins, plastic bags in bottle bins), the entire load may be rejected and sent to landfill. Reducing contamination through proper signage, training, and container design is often more impactful than adding new recycling streams.

Question 10

How do you handle materials that can't be recycled?

Accepted Answer

Non-recyclable waste is directed to waste-to-energy facilities where available, recovering energy content rather than landfilling. For materials with no recycling or energy recovery option, we ensure proper disposal while continuously evaluating new processing technologies that may make them recyclable in the future.

Question 11

What reporting do I get?

Accepted Answer

Monthly reports include: total waste generated, total waste diverted by material stream, overall diversion rate, cost analysis, and trend data. Quarterly reviews include optimization recommendations. Annual sustainability summaries formatted for GRI, SASB, and CDP reporting frameworks.

Question 12

Can you help with LEED waste management credits?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Our programs support LEED Existing Buildings (EB) and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) waste management credits. We track and document the specific metrics LEED requires — including diversion by weight and documentation of recycling facility certifications.

Question 13

What if we already have a recycling program but want to improve?

Accepted Answer

We start with an audit of your existing program to find gaps: missed material streams, contamination issues, wrong-sized containers, over-serviced or under-serviced locations, and vendor inefficiencies. Optimization of existing programs typically improves diversion 20-40 points.

Question 14

How do multi-location programs work?

Accepted Answer

We coordinate recycling programs across all your facilities under one contract. Each location gets a program designed for its specific waste composition, but reporting is consolidated for corporate-level visibility. One invoice, one account manager, consistent service levels across every site.

Question 15

What's the ROI timeline for a diversion program?

Accepted Answer

Most programs achieve positive ROI within 30-60 days of implementation. The biggest immediate savings come from right-sizing containers and shifting recyclable volume from landfill disposal (expensive) to recycling processing (cheaper or free). Revenue from commodity materials (metals, OCC) provides additional return.

Waste Diversion Goals — FAQ