Measurabl allows users to track waste utilities, which is critical to assessing an organization’s overall sustainability. Waste generation and management are important for GRESB reporting, Scope 3 emissions reporting under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and LEED for Existing Buildings certification.
All waste data must be entered manually. We do not currently offer our Connect feature for waste utilities. To follow step-by-step instructions on how to input your data individually or in bulk, please refer to this article.
General Waste Tracking Guidance:
There is less standardization surrounding units of measure, billing, and service interval among waste utilities than with energy and water utilities. You’ll therefore notice that there are some options in Measurabl (and ENERGY STAR) for tracking waste that you won’t see for energy and water.
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What waste meter types do I choose?
- There are four main categories of waste that are available for tracking in Measurabl based on disposal method. Measurabl generally uses the ENERGY STAR framework for tracking waste.
- When setting up your waste meters, you'll notice that within these disposal categories there are many different types of waste that can be tracked. The number of options is meant to ensure that you can always find an appropriate type within Measurabl.
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How do I know how much waste my site generates?
- Once you’ve set up a waste meter with the right disposal method, waste type, and unit of measure, you can start adding data. You’ll enter a billing period start/end date, quantity, and total spend for each bill.
- It is rare that buildings have data available on exact weight of waste disposed every month, so in addition to tracking by weight, Measurabl allows you to track the volume of waste (either via cubic yards/meters or via gallons/liters). See here for the source of the conversion factors we use across different types of waste.
- If you’re tracking waste in ENERGY STAR, you can estimate waste volume based on the size of your building’s waste containers and how full they typically are when they’re picked up. One way to make this estimate is by taking a quick look at the waste containers the day before pickup a handful of times to get a rough idea of the typical ‘percent full’ your containers are on pickup day. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how to make that estimate if you choose to go this route.
- Within trash meters specifically, you’ll also have the opportunity to note the percentage of each waste entry that goes to incineration, waste-to-energy, or another kind of disposal method.