Greenhouse Gas Reductions Calculator
Each time you recycle or compost materials instead of discarding them, you help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and protect the climate.
Over time these emission reductions add up to significant amounts! In fact, GHG reductions from recycling and composting are often so considerable that they can be compared to avoided tailpipe emissions from vehicles, or cars taken off the road.
StopWaste Interactive Greenhouse Gas Calculator
Use the StopWaste GHG calculator to estimate the impact of your waste reduction practices, expressed in tons of carbon dioxide saved, or cars taken off the road. See below for instructions, or contact us for assistance.
Calculator Instructions
Note: This calculator works for commonly recycled or composted materials and must be repeated for each material type. To calculate your total GHG reductions, please add up the results for each material calculated.
1. Select your calculation method. Choose Method 1 ("Using Collection Service Level") if you know the number and size of containers used to collect a given material, as well as frequency of pick-up. Choose Method 2 ("Using Monthly Tonnage") if you know how many tons of the chosen material you recycle or compost each month.
2. Under the selected method, choose your material from the yellow highlighted pull-down menu. The calculator will automatically fill in material specific conversion factors next to the pull-down menu.
3a. Using Method 1: Enter the number and volume of containers used for the chosen material, as well as the number of pick-ups per week into the yellow cells under the applicable bin type(s). The total waste diverted is calculated to the right (blue cells). The corresponding GHG reductions (CO2 saved) per month and equivalent cars taken off the road are shown in the green cells.
3b. Using Method 2: Enter the total tons of the chosen material recycled or composted each month into the yellow cell. The corresponding GHG reductions (CO2 saved) per month and equivalent cars taken off the road are shown in the green cells.