Zero waste
A goal of sending nothing, or nearly nothing, to landfill or incineration.
Zero waste programs aim to send as close to nothing as possible to landfill, and in stricter versions to incineration as well. Certification schemes set their own thresholds and rules for what counts as diverted.
Pallets are often an early win in a zero waste effort because established reuse, repair and grinding markets exist. The order of preference is reduce, reuse and repair, recycle, then energy recovery and landfill.
We don't summarise any certifier's current rulebook. Read it directly and note the version next to your rate. See zero waste programs.
Zero waste reporting usually rests on the same records as a diversion rate: pickup receipts, destination statements and counts. For pallets, the hardest part is often showing where ground wood ended up, so ask your recycler for a destination statement early.