Waste Audits

What is a Waste Audit?

A waste audit is where the waste a business, organisation or individual produces is systematically measured. An audit can involve assessing things about your waste stream like:

• The types of materials in the waste stream;

• How much is being produced;

• Fluctuations in waste production;

• Where the waste is being produced.

Why do a Waste Audit?

If you have decided you want to try to reduce waste, there are a couple of basic questions you first need to ask:

• How much waste do we produce?

• What types of waste do we produce?

• What parts of our operation produce the waste?

• How much is it costing?

• What is the best way to target our efforts at waste reduction?

• How will we know how much progress we make?

A waste audit is a process that will help you answer these questions. It will provide some hard numbers for you to plan and measure your progress. Also if you want to sell the waste reduction initiatives you are planning, there is nothing like being able to show hard numbers and graphs that demonstrate exactly what you can reduce and by how much.

It can sometimes be tempting to go ahead and start putting in ideas to reduce waste, but a bit of time and effort taken at the start will pay in the long run.

In summary a waste audit will:

• Help you plan what you are going to do;

• Provide a benchmark to measure progress;

• Help you sell your waste reduction initiatives.

Contact Zero Waste if you would like to find out more about waste audits on 021 279 9487 to talk to Jo.

Do it yourself waste audit manual (PDF 309 KB)

A Household Audit of Waste (PDF 49 KB)

A Household Audit of Waste (record form) (PDF 56 KB)