Annual Waste Diversion is calculated by dividing the total diverted waste (recycled, composted and reused materials kept out of the landfill) by the total generated waste (diverted materials and landfilled materials). This statistic includes all four waste streams (trash, recycling, organics, reuse) and several services including curbside collection, roll-off, construction & demolition (C&D), drop-off centers and many more. Because data are self-reported and there are so many different wastes contributing to the Annual Waste Diversion, the diversion rate can change significantly year to year, especially with contributions from things like construction and natural disasters that vary widely and unpredictably.
Curbside Collection Diversion isolates waste discarded in dumpsters and carts and collected on a regular basis. Curbside collection does not include C&D, roll-off, drop-off center or reuse waste. Separating curbside collection waste gives a consistent representation of what the community is throwing out and is a useful statistic for tracking our community behavior in correlation with the Universal Zero Waste Ordinance.