Have you ever wondered about the environmental impact of solid waste? The amount of natural resources used to make the items you throw away, and the amount of resources that could be saved through recycling those same items? Or how much money you could make by selling your recyclable waste to scrap dealers?
We have a way for you to find out! The Waste Calculator is a tool designed to answer these questions. All you need to do is weigh your respective waste categories, such as metal or paper, input the numbers into the calculator and it will analyse them for you.
What’s more, if you know the local recycling rates and scrap dealer prices for your waste items, you can get accurate results that are tailored to your community!
Want to start exploring? Fill out the short registration form below and you will be sent an email with a link to the Waste Calculator!
* Please note that the Waste Calculator will not be able to reveal the environmental impact of one specific item (e.g. PET bottles). The calculations it uses are based on averages of a broader category of waste (e.g. plastic). The calculations and sources used by the Waste Calculator are listed on the last tab of the Excel document.
** Feel free to give us your feedback. We are curious to know if this tool can be of use to you or if you have any suggestions for its improvement. You can send an email to wasteless@auroville.org.in.
How to access the Waste Calculator
FAQs
Is the Waste Calculator free?
Yes! Just fill in the Registration Form provided. You will then be sent an email and can download the Waste Calculator for free!
Why should I use the Waste Calculator?
The Waste Calculator can help you in four main ways:
It allows you to analyse the composition of your waste and compare it with the average composition of Indian households.
It indicates what percentage of your waste will be recycled and what percentage will be disposed of (dumped, landfilled, incinerated, etc.).
It quantifies the environmental impact of your waste by comparing the amount of resources (such as water, energy, and CO2 emissions) used during primary production with the amount of resources that could be saved through recycling.
It tells you how much money you could make by selling your recyclable waste.
You can use the information gained from the Waste Calculator to: change the way you or your organisation produce and manage waste; set achievable targets for waste reduction; and change the habits of your community and other organisations by sharing your results with as many people as possible!
How many categories do I need to separate my waste into to use the Waste Calculator?
Waste that contains a mixture of different materials is of little value to you or to recyclers. For this reason, to get the most from the Waste Calculator you should be dividing your waste into seven categories:
Metals
Paper
Plastics
Glass
Organic
Sanitary
Mixed
If this is too much of a challenge, do not despair! The Waste Calculator still works if you separate your waste into fewer categories. All you need to do is enter the category values that you do have and leave the rest blank.
However, the more categories you separate your waste into, the greater the likelihood that your waste can be recycled!
How do I know how much waste I generate?
You can find out how much waste you generate by weighing it (in kg) on a regular basis. For example, choose one day during the week to weigh your waste, and repeat the process every week. In this way, you can accurately measure how much waste you produce per week, per month, or per year.
Of course, some waste bins get filled up more quickly than others! For example, you might not be able to store your organic waste for a long time as it will start to smell bad. In that case, weighing it on a daily basis is recommended.
What do I need in order to use the Waste Calculator? Do I need to prepare?
The better you separate your waste, the more accurate the calculations will be because each category will contain only one type of waste. In order to weigh your waste, you might need:
An accurate weighing scale (in kg)
Separate waste bins (easy to handle)
A notepad and pen to record your results
A recent version of Excel installed on your computer
What results can I expect?
After entering your individual data into the Waste Calculator, you will receive a personalised report which explains the impact of your waste in more detail. It can be found on the final tab of your Excel document.
The overall purpose of the Waste Calculator is to give you an idea of the environmental impact of your waste and the amount of resources saved during recycling, using values that are customised to your community. For example, in the case of paper waste, the environmental impact could include the number of trees cut down to provide raw materials, as well as the number of trees saved if the paper was recycled.
I do not know how to use Excel. Can I still use the Waste Calculator?
The Waste Calculator is quite easy to use. You only need to fill in the boxes (coloured green and yellow) on the first ‘INPUT’ tab and then navigate between tabs by clicking on the bars located along the bottom of the screen, as shown below. Using these tabs, you can switch between the page where you input your data and the pages where you can view the composition of your waste, its environmental impact, the calculations used to determine this impact and a report of the outcomes generated by the Waste Calculator.
What data are your calculations based on?
The calculations performed by the Waste Calculator draw upon findings from a range of contemporary research into the environmental impact of different waste streams. You can find all the calculations and sources used to measure the environmental impact of your waste by clicking on the ‘Calculations and Data’ tab of the Excel document. The standard calculations are made using average Indian values (e.g. recycling rates per category of waste). However, if you are familiar with the relevant values within your municipality or country, we encourage you to enter these values in the relevant spaces on the ‘INPUT’ tab!
Can I use the Waste Calculator anywhere in the world?
Yes, you can! If you live outside India, simply enter the recycling and scrap dealer rates of your country on the ‘INPUT’ tab of the Excel document. This will make the results of the Waste Calculator more accurate to where you live.