Achieve Zero Waste to Landfill Certification with Independent Verification

This is a common problem. Many companies think they may have achieved zero waste to landfill but aren’t completely sure.

If you are in this situation, remember that a clear audit trail needs to be in place in order to demonstrate where your waste goes and what happens to it. Your contractors should be able to report on the volumes of waste they are collecting from your business; however, marrying multiple reports into one concise set of figures can prove to be difficult.

If in doubt, ask for help!

Zero waste to landfill is a service that ensures all waste materials generated by an organisation are diverted away from landfill and managed through treatment options higher up the waste hierarchy, such as reuse, recycling or recovery.

This approach is strongly supported by UK legislation. The Waste Framework Directive requires businesses and organisations to apply the waste hierarchy in their waste management practices, prioritising prevention and resource efficiency.

Our new certification tier allows for small amounts of a business’s waste to go to landfill when there was no other option for particular waste streams.

The UK legislation supports the move away from landfill. The Waste Framework Directive means that UK businesses and organisations should apply the waste hierarchy to their activities, while Scotland has banned the disposal of municipal biodegradable waste to landfill.

Timescales vary. Some businesses have straightforward operations with limited waste streams; others involve multiple sites and partners, and a high number of waste products. Sometimes different sites will manage waste in different ways.

The first step is to assess your waste streams and disposal routes. With this information, you will be able to decide the level of support needed.

Your business will need to be able to demonstrate that it is diverting all waste from landfill.

The ideal scenario is to first try and prevent as much waste from being produced as possible. Secondly, unavoidable waste should be reused or recycled. Where this isn’t possible, the remaining waste would go for recovery (e.g. Energy from waste incineration).

You will need to collect information on the weight of each waste material and ask contractors to provide information on the treatment processes and end markets.

It is important to remember that even though two facilities may perform the same process, they may send separated waste materials to different end-treatment facilities. Waste may ultimately end up in recycling, recovery, or landfill markets.

It is the business’s responsibility to apply the waste hierarchy to any waste created at its sites. It must also try to prevent waste from going to landfill.

The organisation should ensure that waste is separated by type before it is collected, have signs in place to ensure that staff do not cause contamination and select contractors that will be proactive in helping the business to meet its target.

Under UK waste legislation, contractors are responsible for applying these conditions if they transfer your business’s waste to a third party.

This is any evidence that is provided by your waste contractor that should specify more than just the waste that was diverted from landfill but information on whether it was reused, recycled, or recovered, where this has taken place (location if they won’t specify further) and if recycled what into.

With recovered waste; i.e. Energy from waste incineration, the contractor needs to confirm what happens to the incinerator bottom ash (IBA). This can be provided in various forms including an email or process flow document.

Like all the other waste information this needs to be updated annually ahead of the audit.

Yes! Your contractor may also be investigating new routes to achieve zero waste to landfill.

If they resist, explain that it is also in their interest to move away from landfill.

Guidelines for achieving zero waste to landfill require organisations to demonstrate that no waste generated at their sites is disposed of in landfill, supported by robust evidence and independent verification. Valpak verify zero waste to landfill claims through site audits and detailed reviews of waste management documentation. This process ensures that all waste streams are managed in accordance with the waste hierarchy and treated through approved recovery or recycling routes.

A zero waste to landfill audit is an assessment that verifies an organisation diverts all waste generated at a site away from landfill and manages it in accordance with the waste hierarchy. The audit involves a site visit to assess how waste is produced, segregated, stored, and collected, alongside a detailed review of waste management documentation such as waste transfer notes, consignment notes, and information on treatment facilities. It also includes downstream verification to confirm how waste is treated after it leaves the site and to demonstrate that none of it is ultimately disposed of in landfill. The purpose of the audit is to provide independent assurance that a zero waste to landfill claim is accurate, robust, and evidence-based, rather than relying solely on assurances from waste contractors.