Composting Impact vs E-waste Impact Calculator
The composting impact calculator and the e-waste impact calculator are sibling worksheets with the same structure and different input units. Both multiply a quantity of waste by factors you enter to produce scenario totals — and both deliberately supply no coefficients of their own. The composting page works in mass: food-waste kilograms times an avoided-emissions factor and a compost-yield factor. The e-waste page works in device counts: how many laptops, phones, or other electronics times a per-device lifecycle factor and a per-device recyclable-mass factor.
What each calculator does
The composting impact calculator computes two scenarios: avoided emissions = waste mass × entered emissions factor (for example, 100 kg × 0.20 kg CO₂e/kg = 20.0 kg CO₂e), and compost yield = waste mass × entered yield factor (100 kg × 0.50 kg/kg = 50.0 kg). The e-waste impact calculator computes the same two-scenario shape with device counts: lifecycle impact = quantity × entered per-device factor (2 devices × 50 kg CO₂e/device = 100.0 kg CO₂e), and recyclable mass = quantity × entered per-device factor (2 × 4 kg/device = 8.0 kg). Both pages keep units visible, round only for display, and treat every factor as a scenario value you must pin to a dataset row, method, geography, year, and boundary.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Composting impact calculator | E-waste impact calculator |
|---|---|---|
| Waste stream | Food scraps, yard waste, organics | Electronics and devices |
| Input unit | Mass (kg of waste) | Device count |
| Scenarios | Avoided emissions, compost yield | Lifecycle impact, recyclable mass |
| Built-in factors | None | None |
| Worked example | 100 kg → 20.0 kg CO₂e, 50.0 kg | 2 devices → 100.0 kg CO₂e, 8.0 kg |
When to use which
Choose the composting page when your question is about organic waste diverted from landfill — how much mass you are composting and what your chosen factors imply for avoided emissions and finished compost. Choose the e-waste page when your question is about electronics at end of life — how many devices and what your chosen dataset row implies for lifecycle impact and recyclable mass. The results are not directly comparable without care: one uses kg CO₂e per kilogram of food waste and the other per device, so totals depend entirely on the rows and boundaries you pin. Neither page supplies a landfill, water, tree, or universal-benefit equivalent, and neither result is an inventory, certification, offset, or compliance number — treat ranges as sensitivity, not confidence intervals.
Informational note: This page is an educational comparison. Real-world waste outcomes depend on collection logistics, facility practices, dataset quality, and local conditions, which neither worksheet models.