Zero Waste To Landfill (ZWTL)
Prove your commitment to sustainability by diverting waste from landfill
Demonstrate credible action on waste reduction
Waste is a growing challenge, with more than 2 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste generated annually worldwide. Landfills are a major source of methane emissions and environmental harm. By achieving Zero Waste To Landfill (ZWTL) status, you not only reduce your environmental footprint but enhance brand reputation, demonstrate compliance with circular economy principles and strengthen tender eligibility.
LRQA’s ZWTL verification service provides independent assurance that your organisation is diverting waste from landfill in line with global expectations and environmental standards. Whether you're just starting your journey or seeking formal recognition of existing efforts, our service supports your ambition with robust data analysis, transparent reporting and global expertise.
Classification of Waste Diversion
A visible mark of verified impact
Organisations meeting key thresholds can earn our Silver, Gold or Platinum Zero Waste to Landfill label:
- Zero Waste to Landfill Silver: 90-94%
- Zero Waste to Landfill Gold: 95-99%
- Zero Waste to Landfill Platinum: 100%
Claims of diversion rate can only be made for total diversion above 80% and must use the equations to calculate the diversion rate. Diversion rates below 80% are not acceptable for this program.
Zero Waste To Landfill Services
Whether you’re just beginning your journey or looking to validate a mature waste diversion strategy, LRQA offers tailored services to meet your needs at every stage:
Readiness Assessment
Assess your current waste practices, identify gaps and benchmark against ZWTL criteria. Receive a tailored report with clear next steps to support your journey towards landfill diversion and future verification.
Waste data verification
We review and validate your waste records, diversion rates and supporting data. This includes checking recycling, composting and reuse figures to ensure accuracy and alignment with ZWTL requirements.
Certification
We deliver ongoing assessments to maintain certification, track progress and validate improvements. This ensures continued alignment with ZWTL criteria as your operations evolve.
Advisory Services
We can help you enhance performance by identifying opportunities to improve diversion, reduce waste, engage suppliers and align with ESG goals or circular economy principles.
How we can help
We provide a full suite of solutions to support you throughout your journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTL) and what are the benefits?
Zero Waste to Landfill means diverting at least 90% of waste away from landfill through recycling, reuse or recovery. LRQA classifies diversion rates into Silver, Gold and Platinum levels. Benefits include reduced emissions, improved resource efficiency, cost savings and stronger sustainability credentials.
What diversion levels are eligible for verification?
Only diversion rates above 80% are eligible for Environmental Claim Verification, and above 90% for formal ZWTL classification.
Does waste to energy count towards diversion?
Waste to energy (thermal processing with energy recovery) can contribute to the overall diversion rate, but at least 90% of waste must be diverted without it to meet the ZWTL criteria.
What is required to begin the verification process?
You’ll need to prepare a waste management report including facility boundaries, waste flow descriptions, recycling partner documentation and diversion calculations based on LRQA’s standard.
Can LRQA support companies not yet achieving ZWTL levels?
Yes. We offer verification and insight services to help organisations benchmark current performance and build a roadmap to achieve ZWTL classification.
Why work with us?
Global Capability
Our services are delivered by waste and sustainability specialists across key markets. With experience in complex regulatory environments and sector-specific waste challenges, we help clients reduce landfill impact and align with global standards.
We Partner with you
We take the time to understand your unique waste streams, operations and sustainability goals. Our tailored approach supports your journey from initial assessment to verification, helping you build robust systems and demonstrate meaningful impact.
A history of firsts
As pioneers in delivering certification services we have decades of experience in environmental and supply chain verification. Our credibility helps clients navigate scrutiny around waste claims and avoid accusations of greenwashing.
Sustainable focus
With over 20,000+ audits carried out every year we are one of the world’s largest ESG specialists. We have developed the world’s first end-to-end supply chain ESG due diligence platform, incorporating unique proprietary data that is verified from the ground up.
