WASTE AUDITING
What is a Waste Audit?
An inventory of solid waste practices:
1. Generation
2. Collection
3. Composition
4. Reduction
5. Reuse
6. Recycling
7. Composting
8. Purchasing
Why Perform Waste Audits?
• Lower disposal costs
• Lower purchasing costs
• Revenue from recovered materials
• Improved public image
• Improved employee moral
• Less internal theft
When to Perform Waste Audits?
• A typical time period (week) that can be
used to project monthly and yearly
waste patterns.
• Avoid holidays, unusual work flows
(either heavy or light) vacations, start-
up or close downs.
Where to Perform Waste Audits?
• On-site
• Collection points before pick-up
• Dumpster and compactors before
service
• Recycling areas
• Purchasing
Who Should Perform Waste
Audits?
• Waste audits do not require
certification or specialised equipment
Meet with the primary contact
• Go over the procedure
• Schedule a normal week
• Get list of contacts with phone numbers
Custodial staff
Purchasing
Waste hauler
Recycler
Lawn Maintenance
Walk or drive the entire facility
• Get maps of the facility and layout of
the buildings
• Chart location and size of
dumpsters/compactors
• Visually sample waste composition
Meet with the waste hauler
• Get a copy of the service contract if
possible
• Get a copy of the rate schedule
• Get a copy of the pick-up schedule
• Arrange to meet the driver on the first
pickup day
• Arrange for extra dumpster at the waste
sort location
Meet with the Recycler
• Determine what materials are recycled and
how they are prepared
• Get copies of any recycling education
materials.
• Get a copy of the collection schedule
• Get a copy of the weight or volume of
recyclables collected
• Get revenue figures (if possible) for
recyclables sold.
Prepare for the waste sort
• Determine how many different waste streams
are generated
• Determine what recycling markets are
available
• Reserve an area to conduct the waste sort
• Determine the number of samples needed
and the number of sort categories needed
• Assemble sort equipment (scale, table, tarps,
containers, safety equipment)
Document Preparation
• Create spreadsheet for waste
generation
• Create spreadsheet for waste sort
• Create a spreadsheet for recycling
• Camera for photos
Record Waste Generation
• Dumpsters - Estimate the volume of each
dumpster just before it is emptied (use percent
full to make the estimate) and record volumes.
• Compactors - Record the time, get the percent
of capacity (if available), and record the scale
weight for each compactor emptied.
• Talk to the custodial staff and determine when
waste is taken to each dumpster. Also
determine if there are “peak trash” periods
during the week, month, or year.
Determine Waste Composition
• Determine the types of waste streams based on
visual inspection of dumpsters and the function
of buildings contributing to the dumpster
• Collect and stage samples for sorting
• Schedule waste sort, set up equipment, and
coordinate volunteers if available
• Conduct the waste sort and record the results
Observe Reduction and Reuse
Possibilities
• What items are being discarded that could be
reused?
• What items are being discarded that could be
eliminated through better purchasing?
• What Items are being discarded that could be
eliminated through different behavior?
• Look over the source reduction checklist for
possibilities.
Record Recycling Diversion
• Follow the recycler and estimate the volume of
materials collected. Record the type and volume of
each material collected.
• Look for possible efficiencies in collecting
recyclables
• Ask questions along the recycling route to determine
the attitude of workers about recycling.
• Establish a flow chart of how recyclables are moved
from the work areas to the collection truck.
Purchasing
• Meet with purchasing staff and
determine what criteria is used for
purchases, if recycled content is
considered, and How much, if any, is
discounted for recycled material
products.
Waste Generation
• Description of internal waste collection
• What level of service is currently
contracted (# of dumpsters or compactors, pulls/week, and
fees).
• Actual waste generation during the
auditing period
Waste Composition
• Why waste composition is important
• Methodology for waste sorts
• Waste sort results in percentage of
waste generated
• Comparison to similar industries.
Current waste reduction, reuse,
recycling, and composting activities
• List the efforts to reduce waste
• List reuse activities that affect waste
generation
• List recycling activities and the amount of
material currently recycled
• List composting activities
Provide a financial audit of the cost
to collect and dispose of waste
• List the total cost for disposal
• List the cost of reducing, reusing, recycling, and
composting waste
• List any revenues received from recovered materials
• List any gains from waste to energy activities
• List any savings (probably estimated) gained from
waste reduction and proactive purchasing activities.
• List net cost for disposal and recycling (if applicable)
Provide recommendations to reduce
waste and/or reduce waste disposal
costs
• Make recommendations that will be
significant
• Make recommendations brief
• Make recommendations defensible
