Verification Standard for Recycling Operations

This standard ensures that incoming waste is processed into usable material in an efficient manner and materials are not unnecessarily sent to be landfilled or processed by a third party. This standard quantifies the amount of material diverted from a landfill during a one-year period and the percentage of salable and further recyclable material compared to waste that is landfill-destined, incinerated, or permanently stored (as in the case of some hazardous wastes).

This standard is aligned with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Guides for the Use of Environmental Claims and with the Material and Resources criteria for recycled content for building products according to the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building rating system.

Starting January 20, 2026, organizations seeking to get certified to SCS-106 will be audited against V5.0. Existing certificate holders seeking to recertify will be required to transition to the new version starting January 20, 2026.

For complete information about all standard criteria, download "SCS-106 Recycling Program Standard V4.0" (see Documents section, to right).

Assurance System:

Conformance with SCS-106 requirements is assessed through annual audits conducted by SCS Global Services, a qualified and independent third party. Audits are conducted according to scheme-specific and relevant international standards. For full details about the SCS-106 assurance system, download “SCS-106 Certification Body Requirements” (see Documents section, to right).

SCS Standards Operations: 

For information about SCS Standards policies and procedures, see our Resources.