Zero Waste Audit Calculator

Contamination loss is calculated as total waste times current diversion rate times contamination rate, and that figure is subtracted directly from the achievable-diverted total before the percentage is computed. In other words, even material that's correctly sorted into a recycling bin doesn't count toward diversion here if it's assumed to get rejected by a processor for being contaminated — which is why the national average of 15-25% contamination matters so much to a real program's numbers.

The score is a weighted composite — 50% achievable diversion rate, 20% the inverse of contamination rate, and 30% the inverse of true residual waste — so no single input can dominate the result. A facility with perfect sorting but high contamination, or high diversion but a large stubborn residual stream, will still see its score pulled down by the weaker component.

It needs to know how much waste is already being diverted so it can isolate what's currently landfilled — total waste times (1 minus current diversion rate) — and only look for additional opportunity within that landfilled portion. Starting from an accurate current rate keeps the recyclable, compostable, and reusable opportunity percentages from double-counting material you're already capturing.

No — those are flat, generalized rates built into the calculator, not your hauler's negotiated pricing. Tipping fees and processing costs vary substantially by region and contract, so the dollar savings shown should be treated as directional (useful for comparing scenarios) rather than a number you'd put in a budget line without checking your own rates.