How much waste does the company produce per year?

Total waste production in tonnes per year, broken down by hazardous and non-hazardous

The question seeks the total amount of waste generated by the company in the past financial year, usually in tonnes, broken down into hazardous and non-hazardous waste. This is a quantitative indicator from the VSME basic module, in the same waste section as the share of waste collected separately. Where that question asks for a percentage, this one asks for an absolute total: the sum of everything the company has had removed, regardless of the treatment route.

The source is usually the waste processor or collector: the weighing notes or annual overviews issued upon removal, and for hazardous waste the accompanying documents that the processor is required to provide. If the company has multiple locations, the question is whether reporting is per location or consolidated — check this against the scope that the client specifies in the questionnaire, as this varies by portal. If a central overview is missing, adding up invoices from the waste processor is often the only practical route; entering an estimate without supporting documentation is not an answer that you can back up with a source.

Why this is in the same section as scope 1 and 2

VSME places waste in the environmental module alongside energy and emissions indicators, using the same logic as total energy consumption and the direct emissions of greenhouse gases: a physical quantity per year, traceable to invoices or overviews from an external party. That is also why clients often ask this question together with the emissions questions — they are all counts, not estimates. The standard itself can be consulted via EFRAG.