Where does your waste actually go?
Most businesses cannot trace one material stream past the collection point. How to map one, and what it reveals.
DATA · ACTION · ZERO WASTE
Zero waste,
Zero waste,
by design.
A useful circularity conversation starts with understanding where materials go and what could change. We help businesses look at those systems and define the next action.
▸ Systems before slogans▸ Measured, not estimated▸ Action you can own
WHAT WE DOThree defined
Three defined
engagements.
Each has a stated scope, a stated output and a stated limit. Pick the one that matches the decision you are trying to make.
01
ASSESSMENT
Waste audit
A measured baseline of what your operation generates, where it originates and where it currently goes, with the evidence basis stated for every figure.
4–6 weeks 02DIAGNOSTIC
Material stream mapping
One material stream followed end to end — backwards to every point of generation, forwards to its final destination — with the gaps in visibility named.
2–3 weeks 03REPORTING
Measurement framework
A documented method for measuring diversion and generation that survives scrutiny — boundary, sources, treatment of rejects, baseline and units, written once and applied consistently.
OngoingMATERIALSWaste in.
Waste in.
Material out.
Every stream below arrives as a cost and leaves as a material with a buyer. What changes in between is sorting discipline, not technology.
01
AQUATIC BIOMASS
Water hyacinth
Dense floating mats cleared from waterways, very high moisture at the point of harvest
Dried fibre, pulp and digestate
02
RUBBER
Used tyres
End-of-life passenger and truck tyres, whole or part-worn
Crumb rubber by mesh size, recovered steel wire, textile fibre
03
MINERAL
Glass
Post-consumer container glass, mixed colour, usually with closures and labels present
Colour-sorted cullet
04
AGRICULTURAL
Agricultural residue
Loose straw and crop residue after harvest — seasonal, bulky, low density
Baled residue, compost, biochar and growing substrate
05
POLYMER
Plastics
Mixed post-consumer or industrial plastic, baled or loose
Washed flake and pellet
06
ORGANIC
Organic and food waste
Food and green waste, high moisture, degrades quickly
Compost, digestate and biogas
07
MINERAL
Construction and demolition
Mixed concrete, brick and rubble from demolition or renovation
Graded recycled aggregate
08
METAL
Metals
Mixed ferrous and non-ferrous scrap, oxidised or coated
Sorted, baled or shredded scrap by grade
Routes shown are the established destinations for each material. Which route applies to your volume depends on quantity, condition and contamination, and is confirmed in writing before collection.
HOW IT WORKSFrom question
From question
to defined action.
ezero-waste is a consultancy focused on material flows. We identify where materials are lost, what can be measured, and which change is worth making first. We are not a technology vendor and we hold no certifications; the work does not depend on either.
| Element | Included |
|---|---|
| Describe one stream | Tell us what it is, where it comes from and where you think it goes. |
| Agree the scope | Sites, streams, period and deliverables, written down before work starts. |
| Act on the evidence | A sequenced set of actions, each with an owner and a stated dependency. |
InsightsPractical notes
Practical notes
on material flows.
Read
Five questions before a zero waste plan
The assumptions that decide whether a waste reduction plan survives contact with operations.
What a waste audit covers
What gets examined, which data is collected, what you receive, and how to prepare.
Measuring waste diversion you can defend
Choosing a method, setting a boundary, and reporting figures that survive scrutiny.
Choosing a zero waste consultancy
Scope, evidence and deliverables — the questions that separate method from marketing.
Waste segregation at source
Why source separation fails for physical reasons, and what to fix first.