Greenhouse Gas Calculator: EPA Waste Reduction Model (WARM)

Greenhouse Gas Calculator: EPA Waste Reduction Model (WARM)

Created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Waste Reduction Model (WARM) helps solid waste planners and organizations estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions from several different waste management practices.

WARM calculates GHG emissions for baseline and alternative waste management practices, including source reduction, recycling, combustion, composting, and land filling. The model calculates emissions in metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE) and metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E) across a wide range of material types commonly found in municipal solid waste (MSW).

The user can construct various scenarios by simply entering data on the amount of waste handled by material type and by management practice. WARM then automatically applies material-specific emission factors for each management practice to calculate the GHG emissions and energy savings of each scenario. 

This calculator is a very useful tool for quantifying the environmental impacts of different waste management practices. Such data is often required for reports and is very effective in communicating both the need for, and the results of, changing approaches to solid waste management.
 

A mixture of decayed plants and other organic material that is used to enrich soil with nutrients.The collection, reprocessing, marketing, and use of materials that were diverted or recovered from the solid waste stream.Greenhouse gases are a part of the Earth's atmosphere and are both naturally occurring and the result of human chemical processes. The most common greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and chlorofluourocarbons. These gases trap heat and thus contribute to the warming of the planet. See also CFCS and GREENHOUSE EFFECT.The ability or potential of a physical body to do work. The most common forms of energy are heat, light, mechanical (moving parts), and electrical.

> Download Document

Join now or Login  

Not a member? It's free. Join now to get the most out of the Sustainable Cities Institute website.

Members can:

Close (x)