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Zero Waste USA Community Planning Toolkit (updated 2022)Links:
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Zero Waste USA tools are designed for use during Zero Waste community planning and are available to anyone. Zero Waste USA board members and instructors teach students how to use the tools during the Zero Waste Associate Course. See Zero Waste USA's upcoming classes page for more information. The tools are listed in order of use and complexity. The information gleaned from these tools helps the user understand the current situation in the municipality, the diversion voids, and leads the user to initiative recommendations. These tools further allow the user to analyze the initiatives chosen through the community planning process. These data will be incorporated into a community Zero Waste plan.
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Tool DirectionsLink to tools manual
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1Community Planning Checklist Directions
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The Checklist is an inventory of the current policies, programs, and infrastructure initiatives related to Zero Waste for the municipality being analyzed. It can also serve as a "wish list" for the municipality (i.e., highlight the desired initiatives to be included in the Zero Waste plan).Link to tools manual
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Directions: To use the checklist, place a Y in the column to the left of the initiative (policy, program, or infrastructure) implemented in your community, and a Z in the column to the left of the initiative that is desired for the Zero Waste Plan. Alternatively, highlight initiatives desired to be included in the Zero Waste plan. Link to annotated initiative list
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If a team works on the checklist together or the user wishes to make a note, consider using New Comment or New Note in Excel or Comment in Google Sheets to communicate ideas or thoughts about the initiatives. Right-click on the initiative, then click on New Note or Comment.
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The initiatives that aren't currently initiated in your municipality are a void and can be considered for the Zero Waste plan.
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2Service Analysis
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The Service Analysis is a tool that identifies if a service is available to divert materials from destructive disposal (landfill or Incineration). This tool identifies the type of service (i.e., curbside, drop-off) available by material type by sector (e.g., single-family, ICI) and available capacity to divert materials. It is considered a void if no service is available to divert the material from destructive disposal. ICI = Institutional, Commercial, IndustrialLink to tools manual
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Directions: Use the drop-down list to enter the service code and sector for each material type. (Service Codes: CU=Curbside, PU=Pick-up, DO=Drop-off, BB=Buy Back, M=Mail Back, or Void=No Service). (Sectors: Single-Family, Multi-Family, Single & Multi-Family, Multi-Family/ICI, ICI, and All). Create a new row if material information differs among sectors. Include Service Provider Details in Column E. In column F, input information on availability or capacity by material type. For example, if there is a drop-off for chemicals, but it's only open on Saturday from 10 am - 2 pm, that might not be enough availability. Another example is household goods. If there are reuse stores, but their infrastructure is at its max, more capacity may be needed for reusable goods storage and sales, which should be included in the Zero Waste plan. ICI = Institutional, Commercial, Industrial. Review material types that are blank or identified as void. These represent materials types that do not currently have a diversion option and should be examined in the Zero Waste plan.
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3Generation and Diversion
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The Generation and Diversion tool shows a municipality's generation of materials for the base year, the per capita material use, and the diversion by type and total. These baseline measurements are needed when beginning the Zero Waste planning process. Future initiatives will be compared against these baseline data. The total disposed (tons) data will be used in the following three tools. U.S. Census Quick Facts
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Directions: Enter population, diversion, and disposal data in the light red cells. The other cells populate automatically. The total disposed data (C17) are crucial and will be analyzed in the following tool. Enter the sources of the data at the bottom of the table. Below the table, the formulas for calculating diversion and per capita material use are illustrated.Link to tools manual
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4Destructive Disposal Stream Composition Analysis Tool
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The Destructive Disposal Composition Analysis tool allows the user to understand the types of materials going to destructive disposal. This tool, along with the following two tools analyzes the destructive disposal stream. The goal is to understand the types of materials that can be reduced or diverted through Zero Waste initiatives. Link to tools manual
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Composition Directions: This table shows the composition of the municipality's destructive disposal (tons) being analyzed. The composition data shown in the Destructive Disposal Stream Composition table are average composition numbers from several characterization studies. These data are also aggregate composition data for destructive disposal among sectors (single-family, multifamily, and non-residential). Use these data to analyze the composition of the total destructive disposal tons OR find a Material Characterization Study for the city or county you work with. A Material Characterization Study for a comparable community can also be used. If you use a different characterization report, swap out the composition data. The materials listed in your characterization study may not align with these exactly. The tons of materials (Columns E & F) should populate and show you the estimated tons going to destructive disposal for each material type.
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4aDestructive Disposal Composition US EPA - Landfill
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Table 4a shows the composition of landfilled materials in the United States based on US EPA composition data. Total Disposal data from Tool #3 (C17) will be applied to the US composition of destructive disposal in this table.
U.S. EPA National Overview: Facts and Figures on Materials, Wastes and Recycling
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4bDestructive Disposal Composition US EPA - Incineration
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Table 4b shows the composition of materials going to incineration in the United States based on US EPA composition data. Total Disposal data from Tool #3 (C17) will be applied to the US composition of destructive disposal in this table.
U.S. EPA National Overview: Facts and Figures on Materials, Wastes and Recycling
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5Twelve Market Analysis Tool
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The Twelve Market Analysis Tool shows the estimated tons of materials going to destructive disposal in each of the 12 market categories based on local, regional, or national material characterization data. The 12 Market Categories are described below. Urban Ore's 12 Market Categories
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The material categories from Tool #4 show the composition of destructive disposal for the analyzed municipality. Change the percentages to reflect the local data if different characterization data are used. Note: Reusable Goods are a separate category (see definition of reusable goods below tool 5).
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6Destructive Disposal Stream Composition and Market Analysis Tool
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The Composition and Market Analysis Tool continues the Destructive Disposal Composition Analysis (Tool 4). This tool applies data from Tool 3 (Total Disposed (tons)) and uses the same material characterization study from Tool 4. For this tool, a Reusable Goods category is created, and materials from bulky goods, textiles, paint, and wood are allocated to this category. This is important because Reusable Goods are valuable materials that should be evaluated for policies, programs, and infrastructure needs. This tool shows the types and composition of materials in the destructive disposal stream, the value of materials going to destructive disposal, and the material markets for the municipality being analyzed. Link to tools manual
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Composition Directions: The composition data are placed in the light red cells. Example data are provided. Replace those data if specific Material Characterization data are being used. Total Disposed (C7) should populate from Tool 4, and the tons going to destructive disposal for each material type should populate in Columns E & F. Notice that Reusable Goods is its own Material Category. The estimated price per ton of many material types is included in Column G. To estimate the value going to destructive disposal, the estimated price per ton is multiplied by the estimated number of tons by material type. The total estimated value of the materials going to destructive disposal is in cell H 65. This allows the user to estimate the value of materials going to destructive disposal.
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Market Analysis Directions: The price per ton of materials that generally have a market is listed in Column G. These are national average prices for post-consumer materials that are sorted and bailed or sorted and processed, as reported in Resource Recycling Magazine and other sources. Local prices are best for this analysis, but regional and national commodity prices can be used. If the local values for materials are known, replace these values. For Column I, research the markets to determine who buys the materials for your municipality and list them here.
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6aTwelve Market Material Value
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The Twelve Market Material Value Table shows the estimated value of materials in the 12 Market Categories. These data were taken directly from Table 6. This is another way of looking at the tons going to Destructive Disposal and a valuable way to show that those tons have value. Urban Ore's 12 Market Categories
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U.S. EPA Tools Used in Zero Waste Community Planning
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1Managing and Transforming Waste Streams: A Tool for Communities
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The Managing and Transforming Waste Streams Tool include 100 policies, programs, and infrastructure initiatives that communities can implement to reduce the amount of materials being disposed of. It also promotes material reduction and reuse across sectors. There is an interactive spreadsheet, a list of 100 initiatives, and over 300 case studies and examples. Managing and Transforming Waste Streams: A Tool for Communities
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2Waste Reduction Model (WARM)
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The Waste Reduction Model (WARM) provides high-level estimates of potential greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions, energy savings, and economic impacts from several different waste management practices. WARM estimates these impacts from baseline and alternative waste management practices—source reduction, recycling, anaerobic digestion, Incineration, composting, and landfilling.WARM Tool
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Advanced Tools Used in Zero Waste Community Planning
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1Diversion Potential and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Estimate - Zero Waste Analysis
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The Diversion Potential and GHG Emissions Reduction Tool analyses the proposed initiatives for the reduction or diversion of materials and potential greenhouse gas emission reduction for the municipality being analyzed. The initiatives are analyzed based on sector (i.e., single-family residents, multi-family residents, ICI - Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional) and material type to estimate the number of tons reduced or diverted annually from disposal (landfill or Incineration) once all initiatives are implemented. This tool also calculates the greenhouse gasses (metric ton carbon dioxide equivalent - MTCO2E) reduced annually once all initiatives are implemented.
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Directions: Set up the spreadsheet with the reduction or recycling/compost factors, the material types based on a characterization study from the municipality, the number of tons being analyzed by sector, and the initiatives included in the Zero Waste plan. Each initiative is analyzed to estimate the capture rate of the appropriate material type based on the initiative. The tons associated with the capture rate, either reduction or recycled/composted, are multiplied by the relevant factor. The factors are derived directly from the WARM tool. More detailed instructions on using this tool are found in the Diversion Potential and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Tool Handbook. Diversion Potential and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Tool manual (link when available)
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2Estimating New Total Diversion
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The Estimating New Diversion Tool estimates the new total diversion for a municipality after the diversion potential analysis is completed. There are three ways to use this tool depending on where the materials were being disposed of, i.e., landfill, Incineration, or landfill and Incineration.
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Directions: Choose one of the three ways to analyze the data to estimate the new Total Diversion after completing the Diversion Potential Analysis. The choices will be based on how the disposal is handled, i.e., landfill, combusted, or landfill and combusted. Enter the estimated additional number of tons diverted with all initiatives implemented (this is the result of the Diversion Potential Tool) and then add that to the tons of materials diverted initially in the municipality to estimate the new Diversion. The estimated total diversion shows the municipality the potential after implementing all Zero Waste initiatives in their new plan.
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Zero Waste USA tools are updated annually
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Last updated April 2023
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