Waste Diversion and the Circular Economy

As the awareness and importance of diverting waste from landfills grow, millions of individuals and organizations are transitioning away from a “take-make-dispose" linear economy mindset in favor of a “refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle” framework. Waste generation and waste mitigation have become key topics to address in the shift to a circular economy. But vague definitions, unverified claims and undefined procedures can make it difficult to qualify and quantify efforts toward adopting the circular economy model.

UL Solutions can help companies demonstrate and quantify their efforts. Our Zero Waste to Landfill and Landfill Waste Diversion claim validations recognize companies that handle waste in environmentally responsible and innovative ways, including energy production via incineration, reuse, recycling and composting. Each claim validation is clearly defined, carefully reviewed and thoroughly vetted so that businesses and their customers understand the environmental significance of the achievement.

The UL Solutions Waste Diversion validation program focuses on monitoring and measuring material flows that are not part of an organization’s final product.

UL 2799A, the Standard for Environmental Claim Validation Procedure (ECVP) for Zero Waste Classification, requires at least 90% diversion through methods other than waste to energy to achieve a Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTL) designation. Here are the criteria for our Silver, Gold and Platinum designations:

• Platinum — the highest designation, attained when a facility consistently achieves a landfill waste diversion rate of 100%.
• Gold — this designation is reserved for facilities that have achieved a landfill diversion rate of 95%-99%.
• Silver — this designation is achieved if a facility achieves a landfill diversion rate of 90%-94%.

Companies that do not achieve greater than 90% diversion receive a Landfill Waste Diversion claim, according to UL 2799 , the Standard for Environmental Claim Validation Procedure (ECVP) for Zero Waste to Landfill.