The Carbon Trust has launched a standard that provides a framework for verifying zero waste to landfill claims. "The Carbon Trust Standard for Zero Waste to Landfill" recognizes an organization's achievements in reducing its environmental impact through diverting its non-hazardous waste streams from landfill, typically through a combination of reducing waste, reusing materials, increasing recycling or sending waste to energy recovery.

The new standard is aligned with the methodology of the existing Carbon Trust Standard for Waste. This supports the increasing number of organizations that want independent and credible recognition of their achievements in improved waste management, the nonprofit says. Plus, it can also produce savings, both through better use of resources and a reduced landfill costs, as well as giving businesses a competitive advantage by demonstrating their commitment to becoming a more sustainable company.

In related news, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) committee on waste management recently launched work on three proposed new standards.

The proposed "Guide for Creating Product Specific Waste Hierarchy" will help organizations create a waste hierarchy that evaluates waste materials and products in the context of each product's attributes as well as the region's waste-management infrastructure and environmental impact. This proposed standard is geared toward consumer product manufacturers, sustainability advisors, municipalities and industry organizations.

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