Waste is one of the most visible environmental impacts of a manufacturing or distribution business, and customers ask for the data: how much waste, what share is recycled, whether hazardous waste goes to landfill, whether there is a zero-waste target.
For many suppliers, waste management has meant bins that get emptied. ESG reporting needs more detail, and the data exists — the hauler weighs every collection.
| First question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Where does the data come from? | The waste contractor: monthly tonnage by stream, waste transfer notes, destination facility, treatment method. |
| What do questionnaires ask? | Total annual waste (metric tons), breakdown by type, recycling or diversion rate, hazardous waste, targets. |
| How is the recycling rate calculated? | (Recycled + organic) ÷ total waste × 100. Check which definition the customer uses. |
| What is "zero waste to landfill"? | Nothing to landfill, or sometimes at least 95% diverted. Ask which definition applies. |
| Do I track hazardous waste separately? | Yes. Different rules, different disposal route, consignment notes kept. |
Waste streams
Before tracking, identify the streams. Most businesses have several:
General (residual) waste. Mixed waste to landfill or incineration. The black bin or general skip.
Recycling (dry mixed recyclables). Paper, cardboard, plastics, metals, glass. Often collected together.
Organic waste. Food, canteen, biodegradable materials. Some sites have separate collection for composting or anaerobic digestion.
Hazardous waste. Chemicals, contaminated materials, batteries, e-waste, fluorescent tubes, regulated waste. Tracked separately; disposed of through licensed carriers with consignment notes.
Specialist streams. Wood, metal scrap, confidential shredding, WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) where volumes are significant.
Walk the site. Identify every bin, skip, and container: what goes in, how often it is collected. This audit is the foundation.
Getting the data from the hauler
The contractor weighs the waste at every collection. Ask for:
- Monthly collection reports with tonnage by stream
- Waste transfer notes (legally required for each collection)
- Destination facilities
- Treatment method: recycling, landfill, incineration, composting
Most commercial contractors provide an online portal. If not, ask the account manager for monthly reports. This is standard service.
For hazardous waste, a consignment note accompanies every collection. These are legal documents tracking the waste from site to disposal. File them; customers and auditors ask for them.
The tracking spreadsheet
Columns:
- Month
- General waste (metric tons)
- Recycling (metric tons)
- Organic waste (metric tons)
- Hazardous waste (metric tons)
- Total waste generated (metric tons)
- Waste diverted from landfill (metric tons) — recycling plus organic
- Recycling rate (%)
Add formulas for totals and percentages.
If waste is collected by volume (wheelie bins rather than skips), convert to weight. The contractor can supply factors; approximate conversions:
- General waste: 1 m³ ≈ 0.1–0.2 metric tons
- Cardboard: 1 m³ ≈ 0.05–0.1 metric tons
- Mixed recycling: 1 m³ ≈ 0.1–0.15 metric tons
Weighed collections are far more accurate. Request weighbridge tickets where possible.
Recycling rate
Formula: recycling rate (%) = (recycled waste + organic waste) ÷ total waste × 100
Example. A manufacturer generates 48 metric tons a year: 18 general to landfill, 26 recycling, 4 organic.
Recycling rate = (26 + 4) ÷ 48 × 100 = 62.5%
The free waste calculator works out recycling and diversion rates from tonnage figures.
What counts as recycling depends on who is asking:
- Strict: only material reprocessed into new products (paper, metal, plastic, glass)
- Broader: includes energy recovery from incineration and composting of organic waste
- Zero waste to landfill: anything not sent to landfill, including incineration with energy recovery
Most ESG questionnaires use the broader definition. Where "recycling rate" is ambiguous, ask.
"Zero waste to landfill"
Large customers increasingly ask suppliers to commit to it. Definitions vary:
True zero. Nothing to landfill; everything recycled, composted, or incinerated with energy recovery. Achievable for many businesses.
95% diversion. Some definitions allow up to 5% to landfill for contaminated materials or streams with no recycling route.
Hazardous exceptions. Hazardous waste to specialist facilities, including landfill, is sometimes excluded because it must be handled under regulation.
If a customer asks whether you are zero waste to landfill, ask which definition they use. Reaching it:
- Maximize recycling of dry materials
- Separate organic waste for composting or anaerobic digestion
- Move residual waste from landfill to energy-from-waste incineration
- Work with the contractor to identify further recycling streams
The decisive step is usually ensuring the general waste skip goes to an energy recovery facility rather than landfill. Many contractors offer this as standard. The waste transfer notes show where residual waste actually goes.
Hazardous waste
Tracked separately because the regulation and disposal routes differ. Common hazardous wastes: chemicals and solvents, paint and coatings, oils and lubricants, batteries and electronics, fluorescent tubes, contaminated PPE or rags.
A licensed hazardous waste carrier and a consignment note for each collection; copies kept for at least three years. Questionnaires ask for annual tonnage, disposal route (recycling, incineration, specialist landfill), and procedures to minimize generation.
Waste intensity
Waste per unit of production or revenue allows comparison as the business grows:
- Metric tons per £1 million revenue
- Metric tons per metric ton of product
- Kilograms per employee
Example. 48 metric tons of waste on £12 million revenue: 4 metric tons per £1m. Next year, 52 metric tons on £15 million: 3.47 per £1m. Absolute waste rose; intensity improved.
Common errors
Estimating instead of measuring. Use the contractor's data.
Hazardous waste not separated. Most frameworks require it reported separately.
Off-site waste forgotten. Skips at other locations, or scrap sent directly from production to a metal dealer, belong in the total.
Categories mixed. State whether "recycling" includes organic waste, energy recovery, or only material recycling.
Annual gaps. Data requested once a year misses collections. Monthly tracking is reliable.
In questionnaires
Customers ask for total annual waste (metric tons); breakdown by type (general, recycling, hazardous); recycling or diversion rate; reduction initiatives or targets; whether the site is zero waste to landfill or working toward it.
For several customers, ESG Passport stores the waste data centrally and drafts it into each questionnaire.
Targets
With a baseline, targets are meaningful: "75% recycling rate by 2027"; "waste to landfill reduced 50% by 2028"; "zero waste to landfill by 2027"; "waste intensity reduced 10% by 2027".
Common reduction measures: better segregation at source (more bins, clearer labels); staff training on sorting; reusable rather than single-use packaging; working with suppliers to reduce packaging; process improvements that reduce scrap.
In short
Waste tracking does not need complex systems. Identify the streams, request monthly reports from the hauler, keep a simple spreadsheet, calculate the recycling rate. Within months the data answers customer questionnaires and shows where waste cost can be cut.