Circular Economy

Waste Diversion

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Definition

Waste diversion is the practice of channelling discarded materials away from final disposal into reuse, recycling, composting or energy recovery. A diversion rate expresses the share of generated waste diverted from landfill, and sometimes incineration, as a percentage of total waste.

References

www.epa.govBulk import source

Source imported for editorial provenance.

zwia.orgBulk import source

This reference provides supporting context for how “Waste Diversion” is defined and used.

Overview

How it is used

Cities report diversion rates as headline waste performance metrics; companies set landfill-diversion or zero-waste-to-landfill targets; green building certifications such as TRUE and LEED credit verified diversion performance.

Why it matters

Disposal wastes embedded material value and generates methane and other pollutants. Diversion keeps resources circulating and is a measurable proxy for circular economy progress.