Circular Economy, Recycling & Remanufacturing worked example

Landfill Avoidance Savings at 62% share of diverted material accepted by recycler: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop share of diverted material accepted by recycler to 62%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate savings from diverting scrap, returned products, or recovered material away from landfill disposal.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Waste diverted from landfill: 42,000 kg (held at the documented default)
  • Avoided landfill tipping and hauling cost: 0.11 $ / kg (held at the documented default)
  • Share of diverted material accepted by recycler: 62 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 86)
  • Fixed sorting, container, or program cost to subtract: 1,300 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Gross avoided landfill cost = waste diverted from landfill × avoided landfill and hauling cost × diverted material accepted by reuse or recycling outlet.
  • Net landfill avoidance savings works out to 4,164 net landfill avoidance savings at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Savings per kg diverted works out to 0.1 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Gross avoided landfill cost works out to 2,864 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed sorting, container, or recycling program cost to subtract works out to 1,300 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where share of diverted material accepted by recycler sits at 86% and the headline result is 5,273 net landfill avoidance savings, this scenario comes in 21.03% below the baseline at 4,164 net landfill avoidance savings.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to share of diverted material accepted by recycler, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It nets program cost against gross avoidance but does not include any revenue from selling recovered material — add that separately to see the full economic picture.

Results at a glance

  • Net landfill avoidance savings: 4,164 net landfill avoidance savings (headline result)
  • Savings per kg diverted: 0.1 $ / piece
  • Gross avoided landfill cost: 2,864 $
  • Fixed sorting, container, or recycling program cost to subtract: 1,300 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Landfill Avoidance Savings calculator, set share of diverted material accepted by recycler to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.