To get a waste diversion programme approved, show finance one number: avoided disposal cost plus rebate earned, minus programme cost. Waste diversion means keeping waste out of landfill, by recycling, composting or reusing it. A rebate is your share of what recyclers pay for your separated recyclables. Below is a one-page table to copy into your own spreadsheet, with where each figure comes from. Fill it from your own invoices and weight tickets.
Copy this one-page table and fill in your own figures
| Line | RM a year | Where the figure comes from |
|---|---|---|
| A1. Disposal: tonnes diverted × rate per tonne | RM ____ | Weight tickets, invoice |
| A2. Transport: trips removed × price per trip | RM ____ | Collection log, invoice |
| A3. Regular collection: cut in monthly fee × 12 | RM ____ | Contract, new schedule |
| B. Rebate: kg of each material × price × your share | RM ____ | Price snapshot, contract |
| C1. Bins and labels (first year only) | RM ____ | Supplier's quote |
| C2. Added or changed collections | RM ____ | Collector's quote |
| C3. Records and reporting | RM ____ | Provider's quote |
| C4. Your team's time | RM ____ | Your own estimate |
| Net position: A + B − C | RM ____ | The lines above |
Every blank takes your own figure. We do not publish a savings estimate for a business we have not measured.
Finance reads the third column first. Each figure should trace to a weight ticket, an invoice, a quote or your contract. Mark anything else as an estimate.
No weights yet? Our free waste audit takes about a week and gives you the baseline. The waste audit guide explains how it works.
Do you run several sites? Fill in one copy per site, then add them up. One partner for collection, recycling and reporting puts every site in one report.
Two customer records show what a filled-in line looks like
Each is what happened at one customer. Neither is a forecast for your site.
Line B, the rebate. CCL Impex is a vegetable wholesaler. Once every collection carried its own weight, its recycling rose from 1–2 tonnes a month to 5–6. Its monthly rebate moved from RM800–1,000 to RM1,500–2,500.
Lines A2 and A3, the trips. Pangsapuri Optimus is a residential apartment block. Its monthly waste bill fell by 20–30% once the bins matched the real volume and unneeded trips came off the schedule. That came from the schedule, not from recycling.
Your disposal bill has three charges, and each has its own line
Split your invoice into these before you fill lines A1 to A3. Use only the ones your invoice shows.
- Disposal, by weight. Use the rate on your own invoice. For reference, disposal costs from RM95.50 a tonne: the rate our partner collectors are charged, passed on at cost.
- Transport, per trip. It is charged per trip, depending on distance and bin type. Count a trip only if it comes off the schedule.
- Regular collection, per month. Fewer or smaller pickups lower the monthly fee. Count only a change your collector has agreed.
Our guide to commercial waste collection cost in Malaysia explains each charge.
Finance will ask whether disposal gets dearer. Answer with a source, not a guess. The council tipping fee at the Jeram and Tanjung Duabelas landfills went from RM36 to RM43 a tonne on 1 July 2023. A tipping fee is what a landfill charges for each tonne a lorry unloads. The Jeram contract also provides for a 5% increase every three years (Selangor State Executive Council decision MMKN 17/2023). That is the council's fee, not the rate on your invoice. For your own bill, quote the price-rise clause in your contract.
Our guide to recycling versus landfill cost in Malaysia sets the published fee beside what a business is charged.
The rebate line takes a snapshot, never a promise
Cardboard, metal and clean plastic have a market price. That price follows global markets, so nobody can promise it a year out.
So enter the low end of a range, and label it a snapshot. Our recycling rebate guide lists indicative price ranges for each material.
Then check who keeps the money. A general collector takes everything to the landfill in one load, so nothing is sold. A recycler may sell your material and keep the revenue. Line B is real only when your contract shares the rebate in writing.
Our Recycle Solutions service is built on that share. We work through licensed collectors across KL, Selangor & Johor, and we share the rebate with you.
Tell finance the limit too. Not everything is recycled. General waste still goes to landfill. We record every pickup with a photo, a timestamp and the weight, so next year's figure is one you can show.
Programme cost has four lines, and finance will test each one
Cost it properly and the case gets stronger. Most of it is a change in routine, not a capital project.
- Bins and labels. Recyclables must stay clean and separate where the waste is made. You buy the bins once.
- Collection. You may add a recyclables pickup or change the schedule. Ask your collector to quote it.
- Records. Without a weight for every pickup, you cannot show the result next year. GarGeon Connect, our online portal, logs every pickup's weight, time and photo.
- Your team's time. Your own staff do the separating. Enter their hours.
Our guides to improving your waste diversion rate and the waste management KPIs worth tracking cover how to run and measure it.
Leave out anything finance cannot see on an invoice today
Finance reads a sustainability pitch as a cost proposal. One speculative line makes the whole table look soft.
The carbon tax is the usual one. Malaysia's carbon tax was due to start in 2026 with the iron, steel and energy sectors. In April 2026 the government put it on hold. No rate or new start date has been confirmed (The Star, 21 Apr 2026). So it gets no line in the table.
Tell us your sites and what you pay now, and we will help you fill in the table. Book a consultation to get started.
