Waste Stream Measurement and Analysis

The Integrated Waste Management Act requires jurisdictions to divert 50 percent of their waste in the year 2000. Jurisdictions select and implement the combination of waste prevention, reuse, recycling, and composting programs that best meet the needs of their residents while achieving the diversion requirements of the Act.

Waste stream information was designed for solid waste planners, but is useful to haulers, recyclers, nonprofit groups, and business owners and managers. These tools can help you analyze your waste stream, realize profit opportunities in other's wastes, and determine the diversion programs that will most effectively help your local government meet its 50 percent goal.

Recommendations for Correcting Base-Year and/or Reporting-Year Inaccuracies: This report provides guidelines for local government officials dealing with measurement accuracy and is the basis for the Board measurement accuracy policy since 1997.

Base-Year Corrections: At its January, 2000 meeting, the Board placed time constraints on correcting old base years. This document summarizes the new policy.

Basics: What is the adjustment method, and how does that affect Diversion Rates?  How does Disposal Reporting affect diversion rates? Here we present the fundamentals of understanding disposal, diversion and the Integrated Waste Management Act.

Data Tools: The Board provides a number of tools and information to assist local government (as well as businesses) to reduce disposal, conserve resources, and help California meet its waste reduction goals.

Disposal Reporting System. Knowing how much garbage your community produces, and where that trash is disposed, provides clues to important waste flow questions.  Hiding within your community's waste disposal records are major seasonal variations, subtle long-term trends, even hidden disposal sources presenting untapped revenue for recyclers.

Diversion Rate Measurement. Knowing the current diversion rate in a jurisdiction is vital information for identifying the next steps. Tools, key information, and the online calculator help jurisdictions estimate their diversion rates. A jurisdiction can check on their diversion progress by searching our Countywide, Regionwide, and Statewide Jurisdiction Diversion Progress Report page.

Diversion Study Guide. Knowing local businesses' diversion efforts can help communities identify recycling opportunities in the commercial waste stream, improve their diversion performance, and increase the accuracy of their reports. The Diversion Study Guide gives step-by-step guidance on the how and why of performing your own analysis of the commercial waste stream.

New City Incorporation: When a city incorporates, there are diversion rate measurement ramifications for both the new jurisdiction and the affected county. This document explores that issue.

PARIS. Knowing what other communities are doing to increase diversion helps community leaders make logical choices when selecting new diversion programs. PARIS shows what programs each jurisdiction selected and implemented, whether those programs still operate, and if not, why. Business owners and the general public can also use PARIS to review local waste reduction options.

Solid Waste Characterization. Knowing what portion of a jurisdiction's waste stream is paper, glass, green waste, food waste, etc. helps local officials pinpoint new programs offering the greatest disposal reductions per dollar spent. CIWMB's Waste Characterization database can be used to model the commercial and residential waste streams for jurisdictions in California. It contains information on the typical materials disposed by many types of businesses, as well as by single-family and multi-family residences. The CIWMB has also conducted several waste characterization studies on the statewide waste stream as well as targeted portions such as construction and demolition waste and waste from business generators.

Solid Waste System Flow Chart: This chart provides a visual representation of the solid waste system.

Statewide Diversion and Disposal Rates. Here you will find statewide diversion rates, statewide disposal and diversion tonnages, graphs of long-term trends and typical disposal rates for residential and non-residential populations. Diversion rates for individual communities are found in PARIS.

Where to Go for Help?

If you have additional questions about these topics, please contact WasteLine.

Last updated: April 13, 2009