Rapid Appraisal Facility Tool

The Rapid Appraisal Facility Tool (RAFT) is a form-based tool that provides solid waste management staff and planners a quick and efficient way to collect key data about a city’s current solid waste and recycling systems, including its individual disposal and processing facilities, to inform solid waste management planning and system enhancements.

The RAFT is composed of three forms:

• General Information Questionnaire
• Segregated Waste Facilities (recycling and/or organic) Questionnaire
• Disposal Facilities (landfills and/or open dumps) Questionnaire

For each city/site, one General Information Form should be completed and one form for each existing segregated waste and disposal facility that is present. The forms contain a series of both general and more detailed questions to obtain measurable and easily verifiable data on solid waste, recycling, and organics facilities such as operating data, environmental conditions, materials processed, condition of equipment, and staffing needs.

The forms can be completed in print or digitally—or, for users with access to Survey 123 ArcGIS database software or another digital survey tool, the form questions can be established in the database as real-time data entry forms to be used on handheld tablets. Through Survey 123, users can group and run queries on the collected data and create “reports” that can be used to monitor real-time data and compare facility improvements over time, while providing a means to better understand and enhance solid waste and recycling programs.