In 2000 and 2001, the Alameda County Waste Management Authority (ACWMA) gathered weight data on waste disposed from over 1,500 businesses comprising four commercial waste collection routes in Oakland and Hayward. In addition, the ACWMA commissioned a waste characterization study that included analysis of the composition of waste from 260 of the businesses for which weight information was collected.

This report provides a summary of the study, reports on our statistical analysis of the data, and draws conclusions regarding the data’s usefulness and applicability for diversion program planning. The primary objective of this report is to apply the findings of the weight-based data as broadly as possible while understanding, and not exceeding, the limitations of the data. The goal of the project is to determine whether subsets of the data for specific industry/business groups can be used to guide the development of targeted diversion programs.