Resource Library
Every printable and fillable resource the guide describes, in one place. Each item links from the section where it is taught and lives here for the return visit. Files are versioned; the version printed on each document is the one to quote when reporting an issue.
Field forms (F-00 – F-09)
Print-ready PDFs, US Letter. The complete set is also available as a single pack for one-click printing before sort day.
| Form | Purpose | Taught in | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| F-00 · Audit Design Brief | Objective, frame, sample plan, tolerances | §02 | |
| F-01 · Pre-Audit Site Survey | Site profile, containers, denominators | §08 | |
| F-02 · Sample Tracking Log | Chain of custody, one line per sample (landscape) | §08 | |
| F-03 · Category Weight Tally | The core data sheet, 23 categories pre-printed with codes, mass-balance footer | §08 | |
| F-04 · Observations & Rulings Log | Rulings, set-asides, moisture, deviations | §08 | |
| F-05 · Photo Log | Photo ↔ sample linkage, minimum-set checklist | §08 | |
| F-06 · Job Hazard Analysis | Task-by-task hazards and controls, morning review | §04 | |
| F-07 · Incident & Near-Miss Report | Injury, exposure and near-miss record with notifications | §04 | |
| F-08 · Equipment & Packing Checklist | The §05 kit with pack/return check-off and costing column | §05 | |
| F-09 · Category Reference Cards | One laminate-ready card per tier-2 category with rules | §06 | |
| Briefing Script | The ten-minute pre-sort safety briefing, written to be read aloud | §04 | |
| Complete forms pack — all of the above, one file | |||
Analysis & reporting
| Resource | What it is | Taught in | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit Workbook | One workbook per audit event: Samples, Weights (long format), Rulings, Photos, the coded category list with the editable correct-stream column, and a Results sheet computing every §09 metric by live formula | §08–§09 | XLSX |
| Worked Example | The same workbook filled with the Maple Centre dataset — every number from §09 reproduced by inspectable formulas (capture 52.7% / 28.4%, diversion 32.1% → 69.8%) | §09 | XLSX |
| Report Template | The §10 structure as a formatted Word document: executive-summary page pre-built, drafting notes per section, amber placeholders marking what to replace | §10 | DOCX |
Downloads work on the published site and in local copies of these files; the single-file preview version of this guide does not carry the download files. On-page tools — the §03 sample-size calculator and the §09 analysis worksheet — need no download at all, and the emissions dashboard runs at its own address (§09).
Regulations & standards shelf
| Jurisdiction / body | Instrument | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | O. Reg. 102/94 — Waste Audits and Waste Reduction Work Plans · O. Reg. 103/94 — Source Separation · Ministry guide | The continent's clearest audit mandate; thresholds in §01 |
| Canada (federal) | ECCC solid waste indicators · StatCan Waste Management Survey | National context data and the 2030 disposal-reduction target |
| United States | OSH Act General Duty Clause · EPA Facts & Figures · EPA GHG equivalencies | Safety duty; benchmark composition; emissions equivalencies |
| Methodology | ASTM D5231-92(2016) | Sampling design, sorting-sample mass, reporting requirements (§03, §07, §10) |
| Reference studies | Metro Vancouver composition study 2024 · St. Albert 2022 · Stewardship Ontario curbside study | Benchmark compositions and worked municipal designs (§01–§02) |
| Occupational health | CCOHS · NIOSH | PPE, hygiene, heat-stress and lifting guidance behind §04 |
Glossary
| Capture rate | Share of a divertible material reaching its correct stream, net of contamination (§09) |
| Composition | Share of a stream by weight per category, aggregated across samples — never averaged percentages (§09) |
| Coning & quartering | Unbiased reduction of an oversized load to sorting-sample size (§03) |
| Contamination rate | Non-target share of a diversion stream, against the program's accepted list (§09) |
| Diversion rate — current / potential | Diverted streams over total generation; potential adds divertible material still in the garbage (§09) |
| Generation period | The complete, representative time span a sample represents (§02) |
| Generation rate | Total generation per unit (employee, household, bed) per day or week (§09) |
| Mass balance | Per-sample check that category nets reconcile with the gross weight within ±5% (§07) |
| Sampling frame | The population results properly describe: which generators, streams, and period (§02) |
| Set-out | Material placed for collection — what curbside audits measure, as distinct from generation (§02) |
| Sorting sample | The 91–136 kg unit that is hand-sorted in full (§03) |
| Stream linkage | All streams sampled from the same generators over the same period — the precondition for capture rates (§02) |
| Tare | The empty weight of a container, logged per numbered bin and subtracted from every gross reading (§05) |
| Tier 1 / 2 / 3 | Stream / material category / sub-category — the guide's category hierarchy (§06) |
Using and citing this guide
This guide is a project of the Circular Innovation Hub at York University; inquiries to Dr. Calvin Lakhan or Larry Meloche. Suggested citation: Circular Innovation Hub, York University. The Waste Audit Field Guide, working draft v0.5 (2026), [publication URL], accessed [date]. The forms and workbook may be reproduced and adapted for audit practice with attribution; the licence under which the site and its resources are released is to be confirmed by the author before public launch, and will be stated here. Photographs were created for this guide; glossary images on §06 are credited to their Wikimedia Commons sources pending the §06 licence verification pass.
Sources & further reading
- All linked instruments, studies, and guidance are collected on this page's regulations & standards shelf; individual sections carry their own source lists.