Environmental Compliance, Waste & Water Management worked example

Environmental Landfill Diversion Rate at 65% diversion target: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop diversion target to 65%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Calculate environmental landfill diversion rate from waste diverted from landfill, total waste generated, and a target percentage.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Waste diverted from landfill: 680 tons (held at the documented default)
  • Total waste generated: 850 tons (held at the documented default)
  • Diversion target: 65 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 90)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Environmental Landfill Diversion Rate = waste diverted from landfill ÷ total waste generated × 100.
  • Environmental Landfill Diversion Rate works out to 80 % at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Gap to diversion target works out to -15 points at these inputs.
  • Waste diverted from landfill works out to 680 tons at these inputs.
  • Total waste generated works out to 850 tons at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where diversion target sits at 90% and the headline result is 80 %, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 80 %.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to diversion target, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It treats all diverted tons as equal, so it does not distinguish high-value recycling from lower-tier waste-to-energy, and it is only as accurate as the weight tickets feeding it.

Results at a glance

  • Environmental Landfill Diversion Rate: 80 % (headline result)
  • Gap to diversion target: -15 points
  • Waste diverted from landfill: 680 tons
  • Total waste generated: 850 tons

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Environmental Landfill Diversion Rate calculator, set diversion target to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.