

In addition, EPA reorganized the order of materials in WARM and made regular updates to various factors in the model using current data sources. They also include indirect impacts, including the collection, sorting and transportation of a material. The economic impacts include the direct impacts associated with the actual transformation of recyclable materials into marketable products. The update to WARM Version 15 includes economic impacts from employment (labor hours), wages and taxes. Prior to the release of WARM Version 15, WARM did not include potential economic benefits from waste reduction or alternative waste management practices.


Users are still able to access the Excel-Based Tool (xls) (3.43 MB) OpenLCA database for WARM Version 15 (zip) WARM is now available as a tool based on a database developed in openLCA software, with versions available for both Windows and Macintosh users (zip)

WARM version 15 was originally released in May 2019 and was updated in November 2020 and September 2022. Users can download the current version of WARM, which matches the corresponding Excel version of WARM. Starting with Version 14, WARM is also available as a tool based on a database developed in open life cycle assessment (openLCA) software. The objective is to provide users with a transparent picture of the evolution of the tool and to provide context for comparisons of results obtained from different versions of WARM. Starting with the most recent edition, brief summaries of changes and updates since the previous version are provided below. The purpose of this page is to explain the changes incorporated into each version. The availability of new and updated information has required updates to the energy and emission factors used in the Waste Reduction Model (WARM) and the inclusion of economic factors.
