Waste Diversion Rate Calculator

Calculate diversion rate from landfill, recycling, and organics—and optionally adjust for contamination.

Educational only. Diversion definitions vary by jurisdiction and vendor reporting practices.

Processed in-browser. Nothing is stored.

Inputs

Optional

%

% of recycling rejected/landfilled

Results

Enter inputs and click Calculate

How to use this tool

  1. 1Enter landfill, recycling, and organics tonnage (or weight).
  2. 2Optionally enter recycling contamination % (rejected loads).
  3. 3Calculate diversion rate and export to CSV.

What the results mean

Diversion improves when streams are simple, signage is clear, and vendors report consistently.

If contamination is high, "reported recycling" can overstate real diversion—so adjustment can help operational truth.

Common pitfalls

  • Mixing units (tons vs kg) across months
  • Missing organics streams or treating them inconsistently
  • Not storing vendor evidence (reports/tickets)
  • Treating diversion as purely a reporting metric instead of an operational program

Change log

v1.0 (2026-01): Latest release