Waste Characterization

Estimated Solid Waste Generation and Disposal Rates

Generation Rates

Solid waste generation rates estimate the amount of waste created by residences or businesses over a certain amount of time (day, year, etc.). Waste generation includes all materials discarded, whether or not they are later recycled or disposed in a landfill. Waste generation rates for residential and commercial activities can be used to estimate the impact of new developments on the local waste stream.

The following links are to pages containing additional information on waste generation rates for commercial, industrial, institutional, residential and service establishments. The tables on these pages contain information extracted from various sources, which are cited. Note that several documents listed were developed by city or county planning or environmental departments. Your city or county planning or environmental agency may also be a source of information for a local project. CalRecycle does not officially endorse any of these rates and cannot validate their accuracy. However, they may be useful in providing a general level of information for planning purposes.

Disposal Rates

CalRecycle has developed waste disposal rates (different from waste generation rates) for several types of businesses, and for residences. Additionally, more recent estimates for waste disposal, diversion, and generation rates are available for a limited number of business groups. These can be found in Table 2 of CalRecycle's 2006 Waste Disposal and Diversion Findings for Selected Industry Groups.