The Solid Waste Environmental Excellence Protocol (SWEEP) Municipal Standard draft has been published, and officials are seeking feedback from waste industry leaders. SWEEP, a program similar to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) model, says it is “a 21st century standard for sustainable materials management.”

In a description on the draft, SWEEP says: “The Municipal Market SWEEP Standard evaluates the environmental, economic and social aspects of providing municipal solid waste services. The standard will be achievable by municipal governments of all sizes and covers a range of activities, whether contracted out to waste industry companies or provided by municipal employees.”

The new municipal standard, as well as the upcoming industry standard, is composed of six performance categories, which are designed to “comprehensively address sustainable waste management from intention (policy) through to implementation and verification (data collection),” SWEEP says on its website.