For most companies, waste is a small part of Scope 3. But it is often the first category where you can get real numbers, because you already record what you send away and who collects it. The difficult part is the mass: a number of emptied bins is not enough for the calculation.
- Scope 3 category 5, waste generated in operations: emissions from the treatment of your waste and wastewater by third parties.
- Not your own treatment: waste you treat yourself belongs to Scopes 1 and 2.
- Methods: supplier-specific, waste-type-specific and average-data.
- Reduction: know your waste collectors, buy recyclable products and use less packaging.
What does category 5 include?
Category 5 covers emissions when third parties dispose of or treat the waste and wastewater from your operations.
Note that Scope 3 includes only waste treatment in facilities that third parties own or operate. If your company treats waste in its own operations, you report it in Scope 1 (fuel use, process emissions) or Scope 2 (energy use).
Waste treatment in this category includes:
- disposal in landfill;
- recovery for recycling;
- incineration;
- composting;
- waste-to-energy (WTE) and energy-from-waste (EfW): making electricity, heat or fuel from waste;
- wastewater treatment.
Different waste releases different greenhouse gases:
- CO₂ comes from fossil and biogenic carbon in the waste when it breaks down;
- CH₄ (methane) comes from biogenic materials that rot in landfill, or from waste-to-energy plants;
- HFCs come from old fridges, freezers and air-conditioning parts.
For which companies does category 5 matter?
For most companies, this category is a small share of total Scope 3 emissions.
Calculation methods for category 5
You can use three methods to calculate emissions from your waste:
- Supplier-specific method: you collect Scope 1 and Scope 2 emission data for your specific waste directly from the companies that treat it.
- Waste-type-specific method: you use emission factors for each type of waste and each treatment method.
- Average-data method: you estimate emissions from the total amount of waste sent for disposal, for example to landfill. You use average emission factors for each disposal method.
Where do you find the data for this category?
You find the amount and type of your waste in the waste records that you keep for the authorities. Do not forget wastewater.
Look for the emission factors for this category in these sources:
- life cycle databases;
- your waste management providers.
What are the main challenges in category 5?
These challenges come up most often:
- Getting the exact mass of waste. Avoid counting emptied bins; give the mass in kilograms or tonnes. Sometimes you need to build a scenario for this.
- If your company shares a building with other companies, the waste mass is for the whole building. Then you cannot find the exact amount of waste from your company.
- If waste includes wastewater, you estimate its amount from your water bills.
- If your company separates waste for recovery and recycling, you will probably work with more than one waste collector.
How to reduce emissions in Scope 3 category 5?
These steps help you cut emissions from waste:
- Find out who collects your waste, and ask if you can get data about it.
- Choose products that can be recycled or that create no waste.
- Buy fewer products in packaging.
- Choose providers that can recycle as much of your waste as possible.
