Terminology

The Waste Management Hierarchy

The “Waste Management Hierarchy” (based on the UNEP & Basel Convention) below shows the sources and destinations of waste. Waste can be collected from a source, such as a ‘waste producer’, river, or ocean from where it is then taken to a destination such as a managed landfill, recycling, or waste-to-energy plant. Ideally, waste is taken from a lower Class to a higher Class of destination. Class D is the worst, ‘unmanaged’ waste category, also often referred to as ‘leakage’. Class A is the category with the best destinations, where materials are reused, repaired or recycled - these three destinations being the only real circular destinations. Above these circular destinations in ‘Class A’ are “Prevent and Reduce waste generation”. Here waste is not generated, nor is it a final destination, but is rather form of waste mitigation.

In some countries there are neither recycling facilities nor waste-to-energy plants or managed landfills. In such situations, taking waste from rivers, mangroves or the

ocean to an open dumpsite is a better destination for the waste. However, as any destinations in Class D aren’t permissible in the VPU framework,  the option would be sending such waste for industrial co-processing.

Figure 1 - Waste Management Hierarchy

TERMINOLOGY

Applicable national law
This relates to national law that is relevant and applicable to the (waste) sector, including international law that has been approved by and embedded into national law. For example, some national laws do not approve of informal waste pickers, yet waste pickers exist and coexist in the regular economy, they are tolerated under ‘applicable national law’. 

Destination Classes
These are  Categories of waste destinations where waste undergoes a broadly similar treatment. See

Class A destinations aim for material circularity and/or prolonging the use of a material, e.g., recycling, reuse and repair. 

Class B destinations use waste as a fuel, such as ‘waste to energy’ and industrial co-processing (cement and glass factories). 

Class C destinations are managed landfills.  

Class D destinations are considered leakage into the environment, including waste entering the air (via open burning), nature, rivers and oceans. Open Dumpsites are in Class D since these are known for open burning, leakage into groundwater, and the wind blowing waste into the surroundings nearby. 

Double-counting

Situation in which the same environmental impact related to the recovery and delivery of a certain amount of waste, as registered on a Waste Certificate or Plastic Credit, has been counted more than once.

Grandfathering

A policy or provision (usually contained in statute) under which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations while a new rule will apply to future cases. For example, a VPU that has been approved as a mechanism that can complement the soon to be enforced EPR regulations as a unit of measure or as an acceptable unit of waste collection.

Independent third party

This is either an auditor or a regularly audited system (like a blockchain registry of waste collection transactions) that is independent of the project or service of waste recovery. This independent third party provides a level of assurance that a standard, requirement, claim is being met.

Managed Landfill

Depending on the available infrastructure in a country, a managed landfill can be technically advanced or simple. An advanced one can be a sanitized landfill with e.g., dedicated waste cells, regular waste coverage and compaction, and impermeable layers/barriers that prevent leachate to infiltrate into the underground and groundwater; a simple managed landfill could only be fenced and secured, thus limiting trash being blown away and preventing waste pickers’ access. There is also no open burning on a (simple) managed landfill.

Non-commercially recyclable plastic waste

These are plastic waste materials with a market value that is too low, or its transport costs are too high for it to be considered commercially recyclable under free market prices. 

Open dumpsite
These are unmanaged disposal sites for waste where either the rainwater run-off or leachate leaks into the underground and groundwater systems; where there is regular open burning of waste; or the wind blows waste materials into the surrounding environment; or a combination of the above.

Plastic Credits
An informal term used to describe a financial incentive instrument used to fund waste recovery activities that would otherwise not be commercially feasible. Current plastic credits can be verified by an independent third party, or not.

Risk-based approach to verification
Verification that takes into account the size and complexity of the operations, and level of risk of the activities being verified. E.g. a smaller project can be verified less frequently, with fewer audit days than a larger project or than a more complex waste recovery activity. This can involve using a randomized methodology.

Post-consumer waste
Waste generated by end user waste generators such as households, businesses, hotels, restaurants, etc.This excludes ‘post-industrial’ wastes produced by factories; i.e.,  products or packaging that are defective, rejected, or do not meet the quality standards.

Traceable
Material and monetary flows can be traced from source to destination via sufficient and relevant information and documentation registered in an administrative system or ledger, which can be accessed for verification purposes..

Unintended harm, socially or environmentally, resulting from the activities.
Direct or indirect negative impacts that affect the surrounding environment and or people resulting from waste recovery or waste diversion activities. For example, air pollution or waste water effluents that leak into the surroundings or groundwater; or health and safety impacts on local workers and communities.

Third-party Verification

Confirmation, by an independent third party (an accredited certification body), through the provision of objective evidence, that specified requirements have been fulfilled.

Project verification - Verification of the waste recovery activities, as well as the processes, systems, and transactions, in the field and/or of the underlying documents and data at regular interval.

- Process/system verification - Verification of the procedures, processes and systems used to record waste collection and recovery activities. This assesses whether or not these processes and systems meet minimum requirements. 

- Transaction verification - Verification of the primary and secondary data, such as images, records, documents, etc. that are evidence of tonnes of waste recovered by the waste service. This kind of verification is usually not done on random transactions in a risk-based approach.

Waste Recovery
The collection of post-consumer waste from waste generators or the environment, delivering it to a better destination such as recycling, reuse, repair or, failing that, to industrial co-processing or waste to energy facilities or a managed landfill.

Working Conditions
Working conditions is a term used to describe the working environment; the rights of workers; the direct and/or indirect income earned by workers in the waste sector; and the protective clothing/equipment. Ideally the working conditions are as described by ILO’s working standards and ideally workers in the waste sector earn more than the minimum wage. Due to a lack of financial and human resources, the implementation of ILO standards cannot be monitored and enforced in many countries. Projects in the waste sector are therefore encouraged to improve on the existing working conditions.