Waste Prevention Information Exchange

Waste Assessment

CalRecycle Programs and Services

• Developing Skills to Conduct Waste Assessments for Businesses—From the CalRecycle Business Waste Reduction Web.
• Waste Analysis at Large Special Event Facilities—Although this Web page is tailored to special event facilities, the techniques discussed are applicable to other businesses.
• Goal Measurement: 2007 and Later—Information on  per capita disposal and goal measurement system.
• Conversion Factor Sources—Potential sources of conversion factors (prior to 2007).

CalRecycle Publications

•  Establishing a Waste Reduction Program at Work—You can reproduce these manuals for the purposes of waste assessment, waste reduction, and training. See our copyright page for details.
  • Trainer's version (Adobe PDF, 939 KB)
  • Class participant's version (Adobe PDF, 834 KB).

Other Resources

Websites

• Free Waste and Energy Audits for qualified manufacturers sponsored by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy—Contact the Industrial Assessment Centers of San Francisco State University, and San Diego State University.
• Profiting from Source Reduction, Measuring the Hidden Benefits, Executive Summary—A Report to the Alameda County Source Reduction and Recycling Board, December 1999.
• Tools—US EPA has developed two tools to assist individuals and organizations in determining the greenhouse (GHG) impact of their purchasing, manufacturing, and waste management actions.
  
  • Recycled Content (ReCon) Tool—The ReCon Tool was developed to assist companies and individuals in estimating the life-cycle GHG and energy impacts of purchasing or manufacturing certain materials. ReCon is available for free download in Microsoft Excel.
  • Waste Reduction Model (WARM)—WARM was developed to assist solid waste managers in determining the GHG impacts of their waste management practices. WARM is available both as a Web-based calculator and as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.