Waste Stream Sankey Diagram: Editable Template
Follow waste from households, offices and industry through collection to recycling, composting, energy recovery and landfill, with recycled materials broken out.
A waste stream Sankey shows where waste comes from and where it ends up. Landfill and recycling are ribbons of their own, so the share of each is visible at a glance.
Three sources feed one collection node. Collected waste is then treated by recycling, composting, energy recovery or landfill, and the recycled share is broken out into the materials recovered.
The quantities are invented, in tonnes, to demonstrate the structure. Replace them with measured or reported figures. The diagram presents data; it is not a waste audit or a compliance report.
How to read this diagram
- 1,000 tonnes are collected: households 520, industry 300 and offices 180.
- 38% goes to recycling and 18% to landfill in this example; energy recovery takes 30% and composting 14%.
- Within recycling, paper is the largest recovered material at 140 tonnes.
- Recovered materials end the diagram; add flows from them to show where they are sold or reused.
The data behind it
Invented quantities in tonnes for one period. Not data about any real waste system.
| From | To | Amount (tonnes) |
|---|---|---|
| Households | Collected waste | 520 |
| Offices | Collected waste | 180 |
| Industry | Collected waste | 300 |
| Collected waste | Recycling | 380 |
| Collected waste | Composting | 140 |
| Collected waste | Energy recovery | 300 |
| Collected waste | Landfill | 180 |
| Recycling | Paper | 140 |
| Recycling | Plastic | 90 |
| Recycling | Metal | 70 |
| Recycling | Glass | 80 |
The same data as CSV
source,target,value
Households,Collected waste,520
Offices,Collected waste,180
Industry,Collected waste,300
Collected waste,Recycling,380
Collected waste,Composting,140
Collected waste,Energy recovery,300
Collected waste,Landfill,180
Recycling,Paper,140
Recycling,Plastic,90
Recycling,Metal,70
Recycling,Glass,80How it works
Enter the sources
Add each source of waste with its quantity for the period.
Add treatment routes
Send collected waste to each treatment route, including landfill, so the whole quantity is accounted for.
Break out what you recover
Split recycling into the materials recovered, and check that the pieces add up to the recycled total.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a waste audit?
No. It draws figures you supply. It does not measure, verify or certify anything.
Where do rejected recyclables go?
Add a flow from Recycling to Landfill or Energy recovery for the rejected share.
Edit this waste stream Sankey
Open the template as your own chart and enter your sources and treatment routes.