Waste Diversion Rate
Percentage of total waste generated that is diverted from landfill through recycling or reuse
What is Waste Diversion Rate?
Waste diversion rate is the percentage of waste that is kept out of landfill through recycling, reuse or recovery. It shows how well an organisation manages its waste.
Diverting waste cuts disposal costs and environmental impact and supports sustainability goals.
How this KPI is measured
- Function
- Operations & Supply Chain
- Sub-function
- Sustainability
- Industry
- All Industries
- Type
- Lagging
- Impact
- Operational
- Unit
- %
- Measurement frequency
- Monthly / Quarterly
- Formula
- (Waste diverted from landfill / Total waste generated) × 100
How to calculate it
Divide waste diverted from landfill by total waste generated, and multiply by 100.
For example, if a site generated 500 tonnes of waste and diverted 350 tonnes, the rate is 70%.
Weigh waste consistently and record streams separately, and note that reducing waste at source is better than diverting it.
Where it is used
Meeting sustainability targets
Show progress.
Reducing disposal cost
Save money.
Improving processes
Find waste sources.
How to improve it
Tips and common mistakes
- Reducing waste is better than diverting it.
- Check where diverted waste actually goes.
- Track total waste as well as the rate.
More Operations & Supply Chain kpi library
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