Enabling Behavioral Change through LCI Waste Calculator Impact to Raise Awareness

Author: Agnes Sulistya

Editor: Samuel Billy, David Adiwijaya

“Do you ever wonder if your behavior can make an impact on the environment? Sometimes we are not sure, through the LCI Waste Calculator, the simple act of sorting can truly be impactful.”

Try our waste calculator to know how different waste treatments affect the environment and how this knowledge can shape your choices.

Measuring waste accurately has long been a challenge. Many existing tools are either paid, difficult to use, or dependent on external databases that are hard to access. This creates barriers for organisations and individuals who want to understand their waste footprint and improve their sustainability performance. To address this gap, Life Cycle Indonesia (LCI) developed the Waste Calculator — a simple, free tool designed to help users measure their waste quickly and effectively. 

Since its launch, the calculator has been used by various stakeholders, from businesses to institutions, with some even using the results directly in their sustainability reports. The tool has encouraged  organisations to pay closer attention to their waste management practices and to make sustainability quantifiable. Finding credible waste data is not easy and organisations often struggle to access reliable secondary data. 

The Waste Calculator provides an easy to use and accessible alternative, built upon LCI’s internal database, expertise, and years of experience in conducting sustainability and life cycle projects. Such a tool is not only helpful for monitoring waste, but also beneficial for a wide range of applications — from reporting and compliance, to engaging stakeholders and supporting internal decision-making. By lowering the barriers to data access, it makes sustainability tracking more transparent and actionable. 

The Waste Calculator was first introduced in 2024 and has been continuously refined ever since. The development team’s long-term goal is to ensure the tool remains relevant, practical, and aligned with internationally recognised standards such as ISO 14040:2006, ISO 14044:2006, and Environmental Product Declarations (EPD). It has been shaped by the expertise of experienced LCA analysts and consultants, including senior verifiers with strong track records in industry projects. This ensures the tool is both user-friendly and scientifically robust. Future improvements are planned to further expand its functions so that it can cater to the growing need for measuring environmental impact in a simple, reliable way. 

The main challenge lies in translating complex data into a simple format that can be used by different types of users, from beginners to sustainability professionals. Benchmarking against other international tools helps ensure the calculator maintains a balance between accessibility and accuracy. Despite these challenges, the tool has already seen encouraging adoption. Several organisations have cited the calculator in their reports, showing how it has become a trusted entry point for waste measurement and management.

How to use the Waste Calculator (step by step)

1. Open the calculator via the LCI website.

2. Select your waste stream (e.g., paper, plastic, organics, metal, e-waste).

3. Choose the treatment/disposal route (e.g., landfill, recycling, incineration with energy recovery, composting).

4. Enter the quantity and unit (kg/tonne; use your best available data).

5. (Optional) Add transport information (distance and mode) if known to improve accuracy.

6. Calculate to see the carbon impact (CO₂e) and other results.

Record the results for your baseline, reporting, or target-setting; repeat for other waste streams as needed.

Tip: Use consistent time periods (e.g., monthly or annual) and keep your assumptions noted so future updates remain comparable.

The Waste Calculator is more than just an easy to use  tool — it represents an effort to make sustainability more inclusive. By offering a practical way to measure waste, it encourages awareness, accountability, and better decision-making. And as it continues to evolve, the calculator will be able to support broader environmental impact measurement, helping organisations track and communicate their performance more effectively.