Basic Information about the Waste Reduction Model (WARM)
EPA created the Waste Reduction Model (WARM) to help solid waste planners and organizations track and voluntarily report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions from several different waste management practices.
On this page:
What is WARM?
WARM calculates and totals GHG emissions of baseline and alternative waste management practices—source reduction, recycling, combustion, composting, anaerobic digestion and landfilling. The model calculates emissions across a wide range of material types commonly found in municipal solid waste in the following:
- metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E),
- metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE), and
- energy units (million British thermal unit - BTU).
WARM is currently available as a downloadable Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The interactive online version of WARM has been archived and will not be updated at this time.
GHG savings are calculated by comparing the emissions associated with the alternative scenario with the emissions associated with the baseline scenario, as opposed to simply multiplying the quantity by an emission factor. For example, the GHG savings of recycling one (1) short ton of aluminum cans instead of landfilling them would be calculated as follows:
(1 short ton × -9.11 MTCO2E/short ton) - (1 short ton × 0.02 MTCO2E/short ton) = -9.13 MTCO2E
WARM is periodically updated as new information becomes available and new material types are added. Users may refer to the model history to better understand the differences among various versions of WARM. WARM was last updated in March 2016.
Who Should Use WARM?
WARM helps solid waste planners and organizations track and voluntarily report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions from six different waste management practices – source reduction, recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion, combustion and landfilling. WARM can be used by individuals and organizations ranging from state and local governments, solid waste planners, students, small businesses, and other organizations interested in the energy and GHG impacts form materials management decisions.
What Materials Are in WARM?
WARM now recognizes 54 material types, which are presented in the table below. Their emission factors are available for viewing in units of metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E) or metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE).
| Material Types Recognized by WARM | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aluminum Cans | Food Waste (non-meat) | Mixed Recyclables |
| Aluminum Ingot | Food Waste (meat only) | Newspaper |
| Asphalt Concrete | Fruits and Vegetables | Office Paper |
| Asphalt Shingles | Glass | Personal Computers |
| Beef | Grains | Mixed Plastics |
| Branches | Grass | PET (polyethylene terephthalate) |
| Bread | HDPE (high-density polyethylene) | Phonebooks |
| Carpet | LDPE (low-density polyethylene) | PLA (polylactic acid) |
| Clay Bricks | Leaves | Poultry |
| Concrete | LLDPE (linear low-density polyethylene) | PP (polypropylene) |
| Copper Wire | Magazines/Third-Class Mail | PS (polystyrene) |
| Corrugated Cardboard | Medium Density Fiberboard | PVC (polyvinyl chloride) |
| Dairy Products | Mixed Metals | Steel Cans |
| Dimensional Lumber | Mixed MSW (municipal solid waste) | Textbooks |
| Drywall | Mixed Organics | Tires |
| Fiberglass Insulation | Mixed Paper (general) | Vinyl Flooring |
| Fly Ash | Mixed Paper (primarily from offices) | Wood Flooring |
| Food Waste | Mixed Paper (primarily residential) | Yard Trimmings |