CSWD SOLID WASTE DIVERSION METRICS
DEFINITIONS
Disposed or Disposal: In Vermont, this is limited to the placement of any Solid Waste in a landfill
or incinerator. In other words, sending solid waste to any end destination that does not ensure
recycling, composting, or otherwise capturing those resources for beneficial use.
MSW (Municipal Solid Waste): Commonly known as “trash,” this is everyday items commonly
discarded for disposal by households and businesses.
C&D (Construction & Demolition) Debris: Waste generated by demolition and construction
activities of any scale. May include materials destined for disposal or recycling.
DIVERSION RATE = the portion of a specified waste stream that we are diverting from disposal
CY 2014 CSWD MSW diversion rate = 44%
CY 2013 VT MSW diversion rate = 33% (most recent year available)
Calculation = tons of specified waste stream (MSW, C&D, or MSW & C&D combined) diverted/(tons
of specified waste stream diverted + tons of specified waste stream disposed)
Example: Last year Resource City residents and businesses recycled 1000 tons of mandatory
recyclables and 400 tons of scrap metal, composted 200 tons of food scraps and yard trimmings,
and landfilled 4,000 tons of MSW. Resource City’s MSW diversion rate = 28.6%.
RECYCLING RATE = the portion of what a generator(s) discards that is separated and recycled
This number is often used by communities, states, and others wanting to compare performance of
different cities or regions because the data needed to calculate a recycling rate are usually available.
However, a “recycling rate” doesn’t really tell us how well any of us are doing.
CY 2014 CSWD MSW recycling rate = 31% out of a maximum 45%
CY 2013 VT MSW recycling rate = 24% (most recent year available)
Calculation = tons of MSW [or MSW & C&D, etc.] recyclables recycled/(tons of MSW recyclables
recycled + tons MSW disposed)
Example: Last week the households on Sesame Oil Street generated 17 tons of “stuff” that they
wanted to get rid of. Of that, 7 tons (41%) was recyclable in their District, and 10 tons was landfill
material.
The households separated and set out 5 tons of recyclables and 12 tons of landfill-bound trash last
week. So their recycling rate last week was 5/(5 + 12) = 29% out of a possible 41%.
If you only have recycling programs (and no other diversion programs like composting), the
recycling rate is your diversion rate.
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CAPTURE OR RECOVERY RATE = the portion of a specified material (e.g., mandatory recyclables,
tires) that we are diverting from disposal
Not many communities use the recovery rate because they don’t have data on the components of
what is disposed. The recovery rate is a better measure than the recycling rate of how well a
community is doing. It tells us how much of a material is being diverted from disposal and how
much is still being disposed, which the recycling rate does not.
CY 2014 CSWD recovery rate for mandatory recyclables = 69%
CY 2012 VT recovery rate for mandatory recyclables = 48% (most recent year available)
Calculation = tons of specified material diverted/(tons of specified material diverted + tons of
specified material disposed)
(tons of specified material diverted + tons of specified material disposed) = amount of specified
material generated
Example: 1,000 tons of clean wood are generated in Happy Town per year. 850 of these tons are
recycled; the rest are disposed in a landfill. The recovery rate = 85%.
If the “specified material” is everything we generate, then the recovery rate and the diversion rate
are the same.
DISPOSAL RATE = tons or pounds per household (or business or per capita) disposed during a
specified time period
CY 2014 CSWD disposal rate = 3.08 lbs/capita/day
CY 2013 VT disposal rate = 3.44 lbs/capita/day (most recent year available)
Calculation = tons of MSW (or MSW + C&D, etc.) disposed by target population/target population
number/time period
Examples:
1) The 600 households on Sesame Oil Street disposed of 12 tons last week. Their disposal rate per
household last week = 12 tons x 2,000 pounds/600 households/1 week = 40 lbs.
2) The 1,400 residents of Oz disposed of 1,022 tons of waste last year. Their disposal rate per capita
per day = 1,022 tons x 2,000 pounds/1,400 residents/365 days = 4 lbs.
It is generally agreed that the disposal rate is one of the best statistics to use to compare programs.
The data are usually available so this rate is easy to calculate.
In all cases, the numerators and denominators must be for the same time period, which
should be specified when using the statistic. You also need to specify the unit and the
particular waste streams to which you are referring.
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