Return to Benefits Toolkit
lumber woodchips

Recycling and Reusing Landscape Waste Cost Calculator

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

This Microsoft Excel-based calculator estimates the cost and environmental benefits of four scenarios for handling hardscape and landscape wastes (concrete and asphalt, brick, lumber, and yard waste): (1) Reusing all waste possible on-site, recycling all waste possible that cannot be reused, and disposing of waste remaining; (2) Reusing all waste possible and disposing of waste remaining (3) Recycling all waste possible and disposing of waste remaining; (4) Disposing of all waste materials. The calculator returns the one, three, six, and ten year costs associated with each of the four disposition methods. Users have the option to input their own cost information. The calculator also estimates the environmental impacts avoided by reusing and recycling landscape materials instead of landfilling them as waste.

https://archive.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/tools/greenscapes/web/html/index-2.html

Topics

Water conservation, Energy use, Air quality, Carbon sequestration & avoidance, Waste reduction, Operations & maintenance savings, Other economic, Reused/recycled materials

The LPS Benefits Toolkit is a compilation of online calculators and tools that can be used to estimate landscape performance. The Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) compiles and writes descriptions of the tools in the Benefits Toolkit. LAF has no involvement in the development, review, or maintenance of the tools. If you have questions or comments on the Toolkit itself, contact us at email hidden; JavaScript is required.

Help build the LPS: Find out how to submit a case study and other ways to contribute.