Behind the waste calculator

Zero Waste Design Guidelines

ZeroDay waste calculator uses the data and ALGORITHMS supplemented by The Zero Waste Design Guidelines - Design Strategies and Case Studies for a Zero-Waste City.

https://www.zerowastedesign.org
about

The Zero Waste Design Guidelines address the crucial role that design plays in achieving NYC’s ambitious goal, outlined in OneNYC, to send zero waste to landfills by 2030.

The Guidelines were developed through a collaborative process starting in November 2016. More than 100 collaborators—including architects, planners, developers, city officials, waste haulers, recycling experts and building managers —engaged in multidisciplinary workshops at New York’s Center for Architecture.

The guidelines team visited more than 40 buildings and held discussions with porters and supers to fully understand waste collection issues across building types.

resources

The Zero Waste Design Guidelines are made possible with support from The Rockefeller Foundation and were developed in collaboration with the AIA New York Committee on the Environment; Kiss + Cathcart, Architects; ClosedLoops; and the Foodprint Group.

waste calculator assumptions

Data used

  • For the residential calculator the weight of each waste stream is calculated from NYC average waste generation data and waste characterization data from DSNY.
  • For the commercial calculator data from California (CalRecycle) is used as it gives the weight of waste streams per employee for different commercial occupancies.
  • Weights of waste are converted to volumes using volume to weight conversions.Container sizes and footprints are as noted in the infographics Waste Bins in Buildings and 20–40 Cu Yd Containers and 1–8 Cu Yd Containers.
Residential steps
  • If the user selects residential occupancy they input the number of apartments and occupancy per apartment.
  • A total amount of waste is given and the user can reduce that amount to reflect waste reduction strategies.
  • Capture rate sliders for each waste stream are set to city averages, and the user can adjust them to reflect waste diversion strategies.
Commercial steps
  • If the user selects commercial occupancy they input the number of employees for a range of occupancies.
  • Sliders allow the user to reduce the total amount of each waste stream to reflect waste reduction strategies.
  • Capture rate sliders for each waste stream are set to city averages, and the user can adjust them to reflect waste diversion strategies.
waste generation data

Note - If compostable dishware is used then the volume of organic waste will be much larger than calculated.

waste generation rate - residential

tons/capita/year

organics

0.14

waste generation rate - commercial

tons/employee/year

restaurant or food service - organics

1.382

hotel -organics

0.583

office - organics

0.157

grocery retail - organics

2.048

non food retail - organics

0.388

Applicability
01

The calculator is primarily intended for new buildings, where the volume of waste is unknown.

02

it can also be used in existing buildings to see how equipment can reduce the volume of waste, as well as the implications of applying waste diversion strategies.

03

The calculator is based on average rates and information, and does not cover all types of occupancies.

04

For commercial buildings with multiple occupancies and large volumes of waste the calculator should serve as a first step.

05

The calculator is not a substitute for a waste consultant who can give recommendations specific to the client’s circumstances.

References

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