How to measure emissions from Waste: Refuse

What counts as Waste: Refuse

General refuse and mixed municipal waste generated by the organisation, including commercial and industrial waste, municipal collections, and organic food and garden waste, where the stream is not already covered by a material-specific page such as waste metal, waste paper, waste plastic or waste construction.

Use this page for waste that is genuinely mixed, residual or municipal in nature — general bins, commercial and industrial collections, and food or garden waste — rather than for streams your contractor already separates by material, which should go on the waste metal, waste paper, waste plastic or waste construction pages instead. Food waste sent for anaerobic digestion or composting still counts as waste generated in operations even though it may avoid landfill; use the organic sub-types to keep it distinct from mixed general refuse. Where a single contract covers both a general waste bin and separate recycling collections, only the general/residual portion belongs here — the recyclable portion should be reported under its material-specific page.

What activity data you need

Collect the most specific physical unit available. Unit definitions are in Appendix I — Description of Units.

• Bin: 1100 litre
• tonne

Which emission scope it falls under

Waste: Refuse activity data typically maps to Scope 3 Category 5 under the GHG Protocol. Confirm organisational boundary and ownership before reporting.

Sub-types available in the platform

All 5 sub-types available in the platform.

• Commercial and industrial waste
• Municipal waste
• Organic: Food and drink waste
• Organic: garden waste
• Organic: Mixed food and garden waste

Data entry options

• waste type

  Select waste type when entering waste: refuse activity data in the platform.

Full list of data entry options

Common questions

What's the difference between waste refuse and the other waste categories like waste metal or waste paper?

Waste refuse is for genuinely mixed, residual or municipal waste that isn't separated by material; if your contractor already separates metal, paper, plastic or construction waste, report those tonnages on their dedicated pages instead of here.

How do I convert bin collection records, such as a number of 1100-litre lifts, into a reportable figure?

You can report the number of Bin: 1100 litre lifts directly if that's what your contract provides, or ask your contractor for the converted tonnage from their weighbridge, which is generally the more reliable figure where available.

Should food waste sent to anaerobic digestion be reported separately from general refuse?

Yes — use the organic food and drink waste sub-type (or the mixed food and garden sub-type where applicable) rather than lumping it into commercial or municipal general refuse, since the collection route and contract are usually separate.

Do I need separate figures for garden waste and food waste, or can they be combined?

Report them separately where your contractor provides separate figures; where food and garden waste are collected together in one caddy or bin, use 'Organic: Mixed food and garden waste' instead of estimating a split.

What if my organisation only receives an invoice with a fixed monthly waste charge and no bin counts?

Ask your contractor for the bin size, lift frequency or tonnage that the charge is based on — most waste contracts are priced against a known collection schedule even if the invoice itself only shows a total cost.