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Calcimator

Zero Waste Audit Calculator

Score your waste diversion program and identify opportunities to improve recycling, composting, and reuse toward zero waste goals.

Inputs

tons/year

Results

Achievable Diversion Rate

72%

Zero Waste Rating

Progressing

Zero Waste Score75/100
Improvement Potential37 percentage points
Recyclables to Capture813 tons
Compostables to Capture975 tons
Reusable Materials325 tons
Lost to Contamination263 tons
True Residual Waste1,400 tons
Potential Annual Savings$49,563.00
Top Priority ActionStart/expand composting program
Current Landfill Cost$178,750.00
Potential Landfill Cost$77,000.00
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter Total Annual Waste (tons/year) and your Current Diversion Rate (%) to establish a baseline.
  2. Input Recyclables in Trash (%), Compostables in Trash (%), and Reusable Items in Trash (%) from a visual waste sort or audit.
  3. Enter Recycling Contamination Rate (%) — high contamination reduces the effective recyclables that processors will accept.
  4. Review Achievable Diversion Rate (%) to see the realistic improvement possible with better sorting and outreach.
  5. Check Zero Waste Score (/100) and Zero Waste Rating to understand where you stand on the path to 90%+ diversion.
  6. Use Improvement Potential and Recyclable Opportunity outputs to prioritize education, infrastructure, or material-specific programs.

How the result changes with Compostables in Trash

Compostables in TrashAchievable Diversion RateZero Waste Rating
10%59%Progressing
35%75.3%Near Zero Waste
65%94.8%Zero Waste (90%+ diversion)
90%100%Zero Waste (90%+ diversion)

What each input means

Total Annual Waste
Total waste generated by your organization or facility.
Current Diversion Rate
Your current recycling + composting diversion rate.
Recyclables in Trash
Percentage of your landfill waste that is actually recyclable but not being captured.
Compostables in Trash
Percentage of your landfill waste that is compostable organic material.
Reusable Items in Trash
Percentage of landfill waste that could be donated or reused.
Recycling Contamination Rate
Percentage of collected recyclables rejected due to contamination. National average: ~15-25%.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Total Annual Waste = 5000, Current Diversion Rate = 35, Recyclables in Trash = 25, Compostables in Trash = 30 = 6 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Achievable Diversion Rate
    Achievable Diversion Rate
    72 = 72
  3. Calculate Zero Waste Rating
    Progressing = Progressing
  4. Calculate Zero Waste Score
    Zero Waste Score
    75 = 75
  5. Calculate Improvement Potential
    Improvement Potential
    37 = 37

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