The Sustainability Loop

Harnessing Recycling Software to Elevate Extended Producer Responsibility

Sat, 12 Aug 2023 11:22:15 GMT

In the heart of every transformative endeavour lies a story of innovation and progressive thinking. Around the globe, the push towards a more sustainable future is gaining momentum. A potent catalyst in this transformation is the rise of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs.

Nova Scotia, a province deeply committed to sustainable initiatives, finds its narrative enriched by the newly announced Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs. It’s a significant step toward reducing waste and promoting resource recovery from packaging, paper products, lamps, batteries, and small household electric appliances. EPR is reshaping product designs and promoting a culture of recycling. Nova Scotia is just one example in a global movement of continued expansion of EPR programs and initiatives.

When it comes to driving greater environmental outcomes in resource recovery, it's essential to recognize that while EPR is the compass, the meticulous tracking of resource recovery via advanced recycling software is the engine propelling sustainability. Leveraged effectively, data can refine methodologies, augment environmental stewardship, and create lasting changes that have tangible impacts on our planet. Understanding the intricacies of waste management and recycling becomes infinitely more actionable with precise data.

EPR: A Global Movement with Local Impacts

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a global resource recovery and waste diversion strategy that is gaining some serious momentum. At its core, EPR makes producers responsible for the post-consumer phase of their products. It promotes sustainable product designs, encourages reduced waste, and emphasizes increased recycling. From initiatives in North America, Europe, and Asia, the positive impact and opportunities a successful EPR program can deliver are well documented and already being measured and include:

Environmental and Sustainability Gains

Economic and Job Creation Opportunities

Social Impact and Regional Advantages

Around the world, regions have reported reduced environmental footprints, cleaner ecosystems, and a push toward a circular economy, all driven by effective EPR implementations. Nova Scotia's target of reducing waste disposal rates to just 300 kilograms per person annually by 2030 showcases its commitment to this global movement.

Navigating the Recycling Landscape: Challenges and Opportunities

Though brimming with potential, modern recycling operations face a number of complex challenges that demand innovative solutions.

Waste Sorting Complexities: Proper waste sorting is fundamental to effective recycling. Unfortunately, contamination frequently occurs, often undermining the recycling process and reducing the quality of end products.
Data Silos: With multiple stakeholders in the recycling chain, from collectors to processors, data is often fragmented. The lack of a unified system means scattered data, creating inefficient decision-making and operations.
Fluctuating Commodity Prices: The constantly shifting value of recyclable materials presents budgetary and operational challenges, making maintaining consistent and profitable recycling programs difficult.
Tracking Recycling Rates: A challenge in the recycling landscape is recycling rate tracking. Ensuring accurate data about the amount of waste that is recycled is critical for several reasons:
Assessing Impact: Quantifying environmental and economic benefits, such as emissions reduction, resource conservation, cost savings, and job creation.
Monitoring Performance: Overseeing the effectiveness and compliance of recycling initiatives like EPR.
Identifying Opportunities: Spotting gaps and avenues to refine recycling systems, improve collection efficiency, enhance processing quality, and widen end markets.

When it comes to addressing the challenges facing the recycling industry, the power of digital solutions cannot be understated. Implementing recycling software can enhance the tracking, reporting, and compliance of EPR programs. Such systems offer the agility needed to navigate challenges like fluctuating commodity prices, fragmented data silos, and the intricacies of waste sorting.

Modernizing Resource Recovery with Software

The world of recycling is complex, intricate, and constantly evolving. Recycling software, with its real-time analytics, ensures adaptability in the face of dynamic and evolving resource recovery operations. Integrated platforms enable data flow continuity, bridging gaps and preventing inefficiencies.

Digital Innovations for Flexibility: Advanced analytics, often in real-time, offer the agility needed to navigate the unpredictability of commodity price fluctuations.

Unified Data Platforms to Tackle Silos: Solutions like Diversys bridge data gaps. These platforms are pivotal in optimizing operations and decision-making processes by offering a continuous data stream across the recycling value chain.

Cloud-Based Recycling Management for Enhanced Oversight: Centralized data hubs, epitomized by platforms like Diversys, come with many benefits. From seamless data collection to real-time analytical capabilities, such systems promise a transformative shift in how waste management is approached.

The right software and applications can enable centralized control with comprehensive oversight, eliminating the need for disjointed systems or manual data management. For EPR initiatives like in Nova Scotia, this means enhanced reporting, improved compliance, and an edge over traditional error-prone methods. Like any industry, every stakeholder in the recycling ecosystem needs the right tools to make impactful decisions.

A Data-Driven Approach to Solidifying EPR's Impact

The road to a sustainable future, particularly in the context of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), is paved with both opportunities and challenges. As we advance into 2023, it becomes evident that the hurdles are multifaceted. Stakeholders face resistance to change, concerns over sunk costs from prior investments, and uncertainties regarding the returns on new initiatives. Tangible results emerge from actionable insights, robust tools, and platforms that efficiently manage and oversee complex recycling programs.

At Diversys, we are committed to supporting this endeavour with a platform that ensures that EPR initiatives are backed by accurate, trustworthy data, enabling stakeholders to measure, refine, and amplify their impact. This data-centric approach ensures adherence to EPR principles and their optimization.

Nova Scotia stands as a shining example. The province's commitment to the circular economy and its ambitious EPR programs are commendable. However, realizing these aspirations lies at the intersection of innovation, responsibility, and data-driven decision-making. As we navigate the intricacies of EPR and its global implications, one assertion stands tall: the future of recycling in Nova Scotia and worldwide is digital. It promises both efficiency and innovation and a greener, more sustainable tomorrow.

Fashioning a New Cycle: The Responsible Textile Recovery Act, Extended Producer Responsibility, and Data

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 18:57:46 GMT

Ever pictured a world where your best shirt doesn't just look good, but it does good for our planet too? Well, some big players in the US clothing scene are working to make that happen. A new law in the works called the Responsible Textile Recovery Act (SB707) could shake up how the fashion industry deals with waste over the next few years.

This law could set the tone for all future rules about waste and recycling in the US textile industry. It's all about using data and sustainable practices to make a change. This is the first time a law like this has been proposed nationally. So why do we need this law in the clothing and textile industry, and what part does data play in it?

Clothes and textiles make up a whole lot of waste worldwide. According to the US EPA, the United States alone throws away over 17 million tons of textiles annually . Most of this ends up in landfills or gets burned, which harms our environment and uses up our natural resources. A solid recycling law could help turn things around.

This law, known as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) , makes companies accountable for the environmental impact of their products. From creation to disposal, they're responsible. Under EPR, companies must ensure their products are properly recycled or reused at the end of their life. While it's a step in the right direction, it's also a massive task.

Textiles Today: High Stakes in Sustainability

It's no secret that textile production leaves a substantial environmental footprint. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) indicates that textiles contribute about 10% of global carbon emissions. Water usage is another major concern. UNEP estimates that the fashion industry is responsible for 20% of global wastewater. These alarming figures underscore the urgency of adopting sustainable practices in the fashion industry, including for end-of-life textile products.

Most products end up causing more harm once they're out in the market. The US EPA reports that in 2018, only 14.7% of textiles were recycled. The rest? It went to landfills or incinerators.

When you toss a textile product into a landfill, it can stick around for hundreds of years. That's because about 60% of these materials are plastic . Burning textiles releases nasty chemicals that pollute our air and can harm our health.

Improved circularity practices for the textile industry are necessary, and EPR could be a key driver for positive change and innovation.

Unpacking the EPR Policy and Its Potential Impact on the Textile Industry

Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR, is a law that shifts the responsibility for managing waste from the public to the companies that make the products. If the Responsible Textile Recovery Act (SB707) becomes law, clothing and textile manufacturers must make their effects last longer and be easier to fix, reuse, and recycle. They'll also have to ensure their products are recycled or reused. Guided by robust data collection and analysis, the goal is to reduce waste at the source, make products last longer, and reuse materials.

Several industry groups pushing for the Responsible Textile Recovery Act have raised concerns about its implementation, including questions about recycling infrastructure, reselling recycled materials, and product safety and brand responsibility guidelines. The American Apparel and Footwear Association, Accelerating Circularity Inc, and American Circular Textiles are calling for a two-year bill to allow more time to address these concerns and learn from existing EPR programs.

This policy could significantly cut down waste and boost sustainability in the textile industry. But EPR isn't a magic fix for the textile industry's environmental problems. It can't fix the root causes of waste, like overproduction and overconsumption. EPR needs cooperation from all stakeholders, awareness among consumers, and the proper infrastructure to work effectively.

Current Challenges in Textile Recycling

The Costs of Textile Recycling
Textile recycling can involve complex machinery and processes to separate different types of materials in clothing. Some everyday clothes, like cotton-polyester blends, are hard to recycle because they need other methods to break them down. Also, many clothes need to label their material makeup clearly.

Labour-Intensive Recycling Requirements
Recycling textiles takes a lot of work. Materials must be sorted by colour, type, and quality. They must also be cleaned, and all the dirt, stains, or contaminants must be removed. Clothes with buttons, zippers, or other additions must be removed before recycling.

Inefficient Collection and Processing
The current way we collect, and process used textiles could be more efficient. There needs to be more standard methods and transparency in how materials are collected, moved, and processed. Incentives and data to demonstrate positive environmental impact could help encourage people to recycle their old textiles or buy products made from recycled fabrics.

There are two main ways to recycle textiles: mechanical and chemical. Mechanical recycling involves breaking down fabrics into small pieces and turning them into new materials. However, this process can weaken the material over time. Chemical recycling breaks down textiles into their essential components and rebuilds them. This method can maintain the material's quality but uses more energy, water, and chemicals. It can also produce hazardous waste that needs to be handled properly.

The Role of Data in Evaluating EPR's Effectiveness

Data is the cornerstone of measuring the success of EPR policies within the textile industry. It helps pinpoint trends, expose gaps, and highlight potential improvements in EPR's implementation and assessment. With data, we can track and report on EPR's achievements - like waste reduction, better resource efficiency, lowering emissions, and value creation.

But collecting and analyzing data for textile EPR is a complex job. Various challenges and limitations exist in sourcing reliable and comparable data on textile production, usage, and waste management. For instance, there needs to be standardized measurements for textile waste generation and recycling rates across different regions. Inconsistencies and a need for more transparency in collecting, reporting, and verifying data by various stakeholders add to the difficulties.

This brings us to the necessity for robust data capture and material tracking solutions to support the implementation and assessment of textile EPR. With an accurate picture of program performance, stakeholders can:

leverage indicators, targets, and benchmarks for performance measurement;
harmonize data sources, methods, and tools for data collection and analysis;
As well as effective data sharing, communication, and dissemination strategies to inform decisions and engage stakeholders.

Imagine the journey of a single t-shirt, from its creation to the moment it's recycled. At the end of its life, this t-shirt ends up in a bin and is transported for disposal. Its future can be a hit or miss without comprehensive data and analytics. It may be sorted and broken down into raw materials; it could contaminate other textile recyclables due to the need for more information about its composition or colour. It could end up in a landfill despite the intentions of the consumer and current recycling capabilities. With a data-centric approach to material flow and management, EPR programs can ensure visibility into the end outcome of products at their end of life, which could significantly improve recycling rates .

Extended Producer Responsibility: The Future of Textile Recycling

EPR, as a policy approach, holds the power to radically alter the textile industry's relationship with waste management and sustainability. By making manufacturers accountable for their products' environmental footprints throughout their life cycle, EPR stands to reduce waste, bolster resource efficiency, and champion the circular economy.

But it's important to remember that EPR isn't a cure-all for the textile industry's environmental challenges. Implementing a successful EPR strategy requires a shared commitment from manufacturers, consumers, and regulators. It also hinges on a robust data framework for gauging performance and driving improvements.

The road to implementation may be arduous, with many technical and logistical considerations to be ironed out, so industry groups are advocating for a two-year timeframe for the proposed Responsible Textile Recovery Act. This period will be instrumental in addressing concerns, drawing insights from existing EPR programs, and setting the stage for a more sustainable future in the textile industry.

Understanding Environmental Debt: Unseen Consequences and Effective Solutions

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 12:37:19 GMT

Debt. Yep, that's a word that can weigh you down. We've all been there, whether from investments we needed to make or those impulse buys that got the best of us. Either way, you've got to pay your dues because if you don't, that debt keeps piling up, compounding by the day.

Now, imagine that same concept applied to our environment. In many ways, we've been doing the same thing with our planet's resources, chasing short-term gains while the long-term consequences keep stacking up.

Environmental debt is all the negative impacts we've inflicted on the planet through consumption, waste, pollution, deforestation, and depletion of natural resources. It's like a debt we owe, and it keeps growing with every shortsighted decision.

There are encouraging strategies and initiatives underway to tackle this looming issue. One approach that shows immense promise is the concept of the circular economy. This innovative model transforms our current systems of manufacturing and consumption into a closed-loop system, where resources are conserved, reused, and recycled to minimize waste and reduce environmental impact.

Unearthing Environmental Debt: Real-Life Consequences and Causes

We won’t spend too much time talking about the consequences of compounding environmental debts; this article is about the circular economy as a tool to reduce our debt. But for good measure, here’s a recap of some of the most common negative outcomes:

1. Climate Change: Greenhouse gas emissions contribute to global warming, resulting in abnormal weather patterns and extreme events like flooding, drought, wildfires, hurricanes, and heatwaves.

2. Pollution: Industrial processes, transportation, and improper waste disposal generate pollutants that harm air and water quality, posing health risks to humans and animals alike.

3. Biodiversity Loss: Destruction of habitats and pollution have negatively impacted biodiversity and have the potential to drive several species to extinction.

4. Resource Depletion: The excessive exploitation of natural resources, including forests, minerals, and fish stocks, disrupts ecosystems and upsets the delicate balance of nature.

1. Climate Change: Greenhouse gas emissions contribute to global warming, resulting in abnormal weather patterns and extreme events like flooding, drought, wildfires, hurricanes, and heatwaves.

2. Pollution: Industrial processes, transportation, and improper waste disposal generate pollutants that harm air and water quality, posing health risks to humans and animals alike.

3. Biodiversity Loss: Destruction of habitats and pollution have negatively impacted biodiversity and have the potential to drive several species to extinction.

4. Resource Depletion: The excessive exploitation of natural resources, including forests, minerals, and fish stocks, disrupts ecosystems and upsets the delicate balance of nature.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. These examples illustrate the wide-ranging consequences of environmental debt. By understanding the ramifications of our actions, we can take informed steps toward a more sustainable future.

Environmental Debt in Action

Let's talk about a significant driver of environmental debt: consumption habits and waste recycling practices. While the circular economy is not a cure-all solution, it offers a promising path to address some root causes that compound our collective debt.

Resource Depletion

Activities like deforestation and mining disrupt ecosystems and deplete natural resources, exacerbating environmental debt.
The circular economy prioritizes resource conservation, promoting reuse by establishing efficient recycling systems to alleviate the burden caused by resource depletion.

Single-use Plastics

Disposable plastics, particularly in packaging and food service, contribute significantly to environmental debt through the linear "take-make-waste" approach. This perpetuates the cycle of plastic pollution, endangering marine life, ecosystems, and overall ecological health.
A more effective recycling system and alternatives to single-use plastics are integral to reducing the environmental debt caused by unnecessary material waste.

E-Waste

Improper electronic waste disposal poses substantial environmental risks, including releasing hazardous chemicals and wasting valuable resources such as gold and silver.
Responsible e-waste management, including repair, refurbishment, and recycling, is essential in minimizing the negative impacts associated with e-waste.

Food Waste

Food waste contributes significantly to unnecessary resource consumption and harmful GHG emissions on a global scale.
Optimizing food resource usage and implementing waste reduction strategies throughout the supply chain are crucial steps toward reducing the environmental impact caused by food waste.

Lack of Recycling

Inadequate recycling programs result in most waste being sent to landfills or incinerated, further exacerbating the environmental impact.
The circular economy emphasizes improving recycling infrastructure and waste management systems and promoting responsible consumption and recycling culture.

Harnessing Technology to Advance Circularity Principles for Reducing Environmental Debt

So it's clear that environmental debt, like most debt, is a problem. Fortunately, there are numerous initiatives underway, including the circular economy. One of the ways we can enhance the adoption of circularity principles is by leveraging technology to measure and accelerate initiatives.

Think of technology as a financial management tool for our planet. When it comes to personal debt, technology enables us to track our finances, make informed decisions, and optimize our spending. Similarly, we can leverage technology to collect, analyze, and utilize data, driving sustainable practices.

Data: Through advanced data collection and analysis , we can gain insights into resource consumption, waste generation, and environmental impact. IoT devices, smart sensors, and data analytics platforms enable real-time monitoring of processes, supply chains, and energy usage, providing a comprehensive understanding of our ecological footprint. With this knowledge, we can identify inefficiencies, optimize resource use, and minimize waste, thereby accelerating our transition toward a circular economy.

Digitizing Processes: Digitization facilitates transparency, fostering collaboration among stakeholders. By replacing paper record-keeping and manual processes with technology , we can enhance supply chain visibility, track and trace materials and products, and ensure responsible practices throughout their lifecycle. This transparency and digital connectivity create a foundation of trust, encouraging businesses, governments, and individuals to embrace circular principles and increasing confidence in their effectiveness.

Innovative Business Models: Technology also paves the way for innovative business models that promote circularity . Digital platforms and sharing economy concepts enable the efficient sharing, renting, and redistribution of resources, reducing the need for excessive production and waste. Additionally, advancements in materials science and recycling technologies allow us to recover valuable resources from waste streams, closing the loop and creating a truly circular system. These technological advancements can drive economic opportunity while minimizing environmental impact.

The circular economy, combined with the advancements in technology, offers a powerful tool for addressing some of the challenges of environmental debt. Just as technology has revolutionized our approach to financial debt, it can revolutionize our approach to environmental debt. Technology can accelerate the transition to a circular economy, enhance resource management, foster transparency, and collaboration, and create innovative business models that drive sustainable practices.

Lithium-ion Battery Recycling: A Memo from the EPA

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 18:38:50 GMT

Lithium-ion batteries are a huge part of our lives, powering everything from the TV remote to our cellphones and electric vehicles. They’ve become the go-to choice for powering our devices because they offer a winning combination of high energy density, long-lasting performance, and compact size. But as their use grows, we face a pressing challenge: how do we ensure end-of-life batteries are properly recycled and kept out of landfills?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a memo that could impact how processors and recyclers approach recycling end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. The memo emphasizes capturing valuable materials from lithium-ion batteries while preventing environmental harm. This won’t necessarily introduce any new regulations or rules for batteries but instead clarifies how existing universal waste and recycling rules should be applied to batteries.

Taking a more sustainable approach to battery recycling is especially important with the growing interest in end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and their handling. What can recycling facilities and processors do to track battery recycling operations more efficiently and ensure their businesses align with the EPA’s stance?

Understanding the EPA Memo

The memo was released on May 24, 2023 , and by understanding the newly introduced guidelines and incorporating them into operations, processors can navigate the complexities of the battery recycling landscape.

1. Hazardous Waste: The memo confirms that most lithium-ion batteries are hazardous waste due to their fire and reactivity risks. This means they need extra care during recycling collection and processing.

2. Responsible Recycling: It emphasizes recycling lithium-ion batteries whenever possible. Recycling extracts valuable materials and critical minerals for future battery manufacturing and helps make our planet more sustainable.

3. Compliance: While some recyclers may need a special permit for storing hazardous batteries, everyday tasks like removing, disassembling, or discharging batteries for recycling usually don't require one. However, following federal and state regulations is crucial, as some states may have additional rules or stricter guidelines.

4. Employee Safety: The memo emphasizes the importance of proper employee training on battery removal, disassembly, and storage techniques to prevent accidents and ensure a safe working environment. New Paragraph

4. Employee Safety: The memo emphasizes the importance of proper employee training on battery removal, disassembly, and storage techniques to prevent accidents and ensure a safe working environment.

In addition to the EPA’s guidelines, The Department of Energy is putting $335 million into funding for lithium-ion battery recycling as part of the 2021 infrastructure law. They're also adding $60 million for projects that give electric vehicle batteries a second life. This significant investment shows their commitment to supporting the battery recycling industry.

As battery recycling gains more attention, processors and recyclers need to consider investing in their technology to improve efficiency, tracking for compliance, and overall competitiveness of their businesses. Waste Recycling Tracking Software can streamline operations and enhance safety as organizations work to stay ahead in the ever-growing battery recycling industry.

How Battery Recyclers Can Leverage Waste Recycling Tracking Software for Operational Excellence

There is an incredible amount of untapped data in the waste recycling industry, including for end-of-life batteries. Unfortunately, most organizations still do things the old-fashioned way– pen and paper. But imagine having a reliable digital tool that can create consistent, instant, verifiable records of waste collection and disposal activities. Here are a few ways waste tracking software can benefit processors and recyclers:

1. Reliable Compliance Data at Your Fingertips

With waste-tracking software for end-of-life batteries, processors and business partners can easily track every step of the lithium-ion battery recycling process. From collection to transportation and final disposal, the software can record and store all the necessary data for compliance purposes. Going digital can give recycling businesses access to reliable records, documentation, and audit trails to demonstrate environmental impact and simplify their interactions with regulatory authorities. New Paragraph

2. Streamlined Recycling Operations and Efficiency

Managing recycling operations through purpose-built software can help automate manual tasks, such as data entry and reporting, saving time, money, and effort. Replacing paper, manual, and outdated processes with real-time data tracking and analytics provides insights into battery recycling operations, allowing organizations to identify bottlenecks, optimize processes, and improve overall efficiency.

3. Enhanced Customer Engagement and Transparency

In today's world, consumers value transparency and sustainability. Waste recycling tracking software allows recyclers to showcase their commitment to responsible recycling practices. Processors can provide customers and governments with detailed reports demonstrating the journey of lithium-ion batteries from collection to recycling. This builds trust and strengthens your relationships with clients.

Technology is a proven tool for streamlining operations, simplifying compliance, and gaining valuable insights and waste tracking software can help processors and recyclers unlock data from operations.

End-of-Life Doesn’t Mean End of the Line for Batteries

Recycling lithium-ion batteries is a responsibility and an opportunity. By embracing the EPA's memo and leveraging waste recycling tracking software, processors and battery recyclers can simplify reporting, streamline operations, and become more competitive.

Organizations must stay ahead of the game as the recycling industry evolves and regulations become more stringent. With the recent EPA memo and the growing interest in responsible battery recycling, now is the time to invest in unlocking the data powering recycling operations.

Digital Transformation in the Recycling and Waste Management Industry: In-House Development vs. SaaS Solution

Thu, 25 May 2023 13:23:19 GMT

Digital Revamp: A Tune-Up for the Recycling Industry

If you're part of the recycling and waste management industry, you know it's rich with years of tradition. But just like a well-loved pickup truck, even the sturdiest industry can benefit from a tune-up now and then. In our case, this tune-up comes in the form of digital transformation, a process that introduces tech-powered solutions to drive efficiency, enable data visibility, and improve operational outcomes.

But here's the dilemma: Should you invest resources in building your own software from scratch or opt for a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution readily available in the market? On one hand, building your own software offers the allure of customization and control over the development process. On the other hand, SaaS solutions provide quick implementation, ongoing support, scalability, and access to cutting-edge features.

As the industry undergoes this vital transformation, choosing between building in-house or embracing SaaS solutions presents a critical decision .

Riding the Digital Wave: The New Era in Waste Management

Digital transformation isn’t just a buzzword; it's become a pivotal transition for businesses that want to keep pace with the modern world. The waste and recycling industry is no different. Wouldn't it be great to quickly track waste, leverage data, or oversee processes with a few taps on a device? We're talking about reducing paperwork, optimizing operations, improving accuracy, and even reducing costs - all through digital transformation.

Right now, you are probably asking what SaaS is. Simply put, SaaS is like renting software over the internet instead of buying and installing it on your computer. It's like watching movies on Netflix instead of buying DVDs. You can access it from any device that can connect to the internet, whether that's a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

In-house Development: Dream or Dilemma?

Building your solution could sound incredible when you are the master of your domain. The possibilities could be endless. You’d be able to customize everything, make it suit your existing processes perfectly, and retain full ownership. Sounds great, right?

But hold your horses. Building in-house comes with its fair share of challenges.

Time-intensive

Building a software solution from scratch can be a time-consuming process. It's not just about developing the software; you also need to test it, fix bugs, and implement it. All this takes valuable time.

High Initial Costs

Developing a software solution in-house requires a significant investment upfront. This goes beyond just the development costs; it includes hardware, servers, and other fees.

Skilled Resources Required

Building a software solution is more than a one-person job. You'd need a team of experienced software engineers who can turn your ideas into reality. This also means that you'd need the resources to manage this team.

Maintenance and Updates

Once your software solution is built and running, don’t expect the work to stop there. Software requires constant updates and maintenance to keep it in line with changing industry needs and technology advancements.

Added Cost of Hiring or Outsourcing

If you still need to get the technical expertise in-house, you'd need to hire new employees or outsource the work. Both of these options come with added costs and can also lengthen the development process.

While building your solution offers the advantage of customization and control, these challenges are essential considerations.

Ready-Made Solutions: Your Ticket to Digital Express

When buying a ready-made solution, especially a SaaS (Software as a Service) platform, you purchase a ticket to the express train of digital transformation. With SaaS, you're free from the concerns of setting up an infrastructure, maintenance, or updates - the provider takes care of all that. And the benefits don’t stop there:

Quick Deployment

With SaaS, you can hit the ground running—no need to wait for a lengthy development and implementation process.

Scalability

SaaS platforms are designed to grow with you. As your business expands, your software can easily keep pace.

Accessibility

Your team can access SaaS platforms from anywhere with an internet connection. Talk about convenience!

Cost Efficiency

SaaS typically operates on a subscription model, turning sizeable upfront capital expenditure into a more manageable operational expense.

Professional Support

With a SaaS solution, you’ll get ongoing support and updates as part of your package. You won't have to worry about troubleshooting software issues on your own.

Of course, like anything, SaaS isn't without potential downsides. While it's highly customizable, it may need additional configuration to meet your specific use cases. Additionally, there can be potential compatibility issues with your existing systems. However, most solutions can be integrated with your business software through an application program interface (API).

The benefits of off-the-shelf SaaS solutions often outweigh the challenges, offering a fast, scalable, and cost-effective route to digital transformation in waste management and recycling.

The Digital Crossroads: Choosing the Right Software Solution

Now, the million-dollar question: Should you build your digital solution from scratch or buy a ready-made, SaaS solution? This debate isn't a new topic, and the answer isn't straightforward. It can depend on several factors, from budget to your team's technical abilities to time.

Think about it this way: When you need tools like word processors, video conferencing, or email for your work, you don't start building your own software from scratch, do you? That would take a lot of time and expertise. Instead, you rely on ready-made solutions that are already out there, usually by subscribing to a service.

Instead of reinventing the wheel and getting caught up in the complexities of software development, SaaS has become a go-to solution for many organizations. It's like having the right tools in your toolbox, and a team of experts constantly working on improving the software and supporting you, all through a subscription that fits your needs.

Digitalization in Action: A Recycling Success Story

Here's an interesting twist in our narrative - a real-world journey to digital transformation in recycling. We're going to spotlight a provincial recycling steward who leveraged Diversys in their quest for efficient and effective waste management.

With Diversys, they've been able to track, manage, and consistently monitor recycling performance for used oil products, breathing new life into their sustainability goals. This case study is a testament to the impact of digital tools in the recycling and waste management industry.

Eager to learn more?
Read the Case Study and discover firsthand how digitalization is reshaping recycling programs.

Making Your Move: Key Considerations in Choosing the Right Software

As you contemplate the software solution conundrum, looking at the entire picture is essential. Don't just look at your immediate needs, but also consider your long-term goals:

Budget

The financial implications of your decision are critical. Building software can require a significant upfront investment while buying usually involves a more manageable subscription fee.

tIME

Developing in-house can be time-consuming. On the other hand, buying a solution can provide immediate operational benefits.

Technical Expertise

Do you have the technical talent to build and maintain your software? If not, you'll need to hire or outsource, which comes with its own set of challenges and costs.

Opportunity Cost

Remember to account for the opportunity cost. The time and resources spent developing in-house could be used to improve operations and innovate, especially if you choose to buy.

When it's all said and done, the digital transformation of the recycling and waste management industry isn't a passing phase—it's our inevitable future. Yes, building your software can give you some control and customization, but SaaS can streamline your operations, saving costs, and keep you focused on what matters most: your day-to-day work and long-term goals.

Stepping into the Digital Future: Your Move

Digital transformation is about setting the stage for long-term success in an industry that's evolving towards more efficiency, sustainability, and digital fluency. The decision between building and buying software is more than a crossroads; it's the accelerator pedal on this journey. Customization and control may be tempting when considering building in-house, but remember, the express train of digital transformation waits for no one. Ready-made solutions can provide the speed, simplicity, and professional guidance needed to fast-track digital transformation.

The road to the future is digital. It's time to put the pedal to the metal.

Recycling Rate Tracking: Why It Matters and How Diversys Software Can Help

Tue, 16 May 2023 13:51:27 GMT

Recycling rate tracking is the process of measuring how much of the waste generated by a particular region, industry, or organization is diverted from landfills and recovered as valuable materials. Recycling rate tracking is essential for several reasons:

It helps assess the environmental and economic benefits of recycling, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving natural resources, creating jobs, and saving costs.

It helps monitor the performance and compliance of recycling programs and policies, such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes that make producers responsible for the recycling and disposal of their products and packaging.

It helps identify the gaps and opportunities for improving recycling systems and practices, such as increasing collection efficiency, enhancing processing quality, and expanding end markets.

The Challenges of Tracking Recycling Rates to Measure Environmental Impact

Tracking recycling rates is a complex and challenging task that requires reliable data sources, consistent methodologies and clear definitions. Recycling rates can vary depending on how they are measured, what materials are included and what criteria are used to determine what counts as recycling. For example, some countries may report the amount of waste collected for recycling, while others may report the amount of recycled material processed and used in new products. This makes it challenging to compare recycling rates across countries or regions or to assess the progress and impact of recycling policies and programs.

Capturing data from the field to measure environmental impact and contribute to recycling rate tracking poses its own set of challenges, including:

The lack of standardized definitions and methodologies for calculating recycling rates across different jurisdictions and sectors.
Difficulty in aggregating data across stakeholders to perform analysis and comparisons.
The lack of reliable and timely data on the quantity and quality of recyclables collected, processed, and marketed.
The need for user-friendly tools for collecting, managing, and analyzing recycling data.
Operational complexity and burden on stakeholders in creating and managing trustworthy records from recycling program activities.

Cloud-based Waste Recycling Management Software

Tracking recycling rates is crucial for waste management companies, environmental agencies, and policymakers. However, it can also be challenging, as recycling data is often scattered, incomplete, or outdated.

To address these challenges, cloud-based software solutions can offer several benefits, such as:

Centralized data collection and storage: Cloud-based software can enable users to collect, store, and access recycling data from multiple sources and locations in one platform. This can reduce errors, duplication, and inconsistencies in the data and provide a comprehensive picture of the recycling performance and trends.

Real-time data analysis and reporting: Cloud-based software allows users to analyze and report on recycling data in real-time, using dashboards, metrics, and visualizations. This can help users to monitor compliance with regulations, track recycling rates, and foster more sustainable practices that deliver a more significant environmental impact.

Scalability and flexibility: Cloud-based software can adapt to the changing needs and demands of users, as they can easily add or remove features, users, or data sources. This can also lower the costs and risks associated with maintaining and updating the software, as the cloud provider takes care of these aspects.

To help with tracking recycling rates, Diversys Waste & Recycling Software is specifically designed to support waste and recycling management programs. Diversys provides a mobile app and a web portal that allow users to track and record the movement of recyclables and waste from the collection point to the processing site. Diversys also provides tools to maintain records, manage claims and performance, and generate reports for auditing.

Diversys powers and tracks recycling operations with complete in-field data visibility.

With Diversys, recycling stakeholders can:

Go paperless with e-manifests for all in-field waste collection activities, eliminating manual data entry and errors.
Manage transactions and process claims from a single platform, streamlining workflows and payments.
Monitor recycling collection programs with real-time data, improving accountability and traceability.
Measure, analyze, and report on ESG and EPR targets with live dashboards and performance metrics, enhancing decision-making and compliance.
Secure high-quality, audit-ready data with built-in security and fraud safeguards, ensuring data integrity and validity.

Diversys works across multiple waste sources and streams, such as tires, electronics, liquids, plastics, etc. It provides a simple experience for haulers, processors, and operators through a fully responsive mobile application and an easy-to-access web application. Diversys can help bring transparency and efficiency to your waste and recycling operations, regardless of industry.

To learn more about how Diversys can help you with your recycling rate tracking needs. Visit https://www.diversys.com

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Software to Overcome Circularity Challenges

Tue, 09 May 2023 12:13:20 GMT

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks aim to shift waste management's environmental and social costs from taxpayers and the public sector to producers and importers of goods and packaging. EPR encourages producers to design more sustainable and circular products, reduce waste generation, and increase reuse and recycling.

EPR frameworks are essential for advancing the circular economy and reducing waste generation by encouraging product design and packaging innovation to promote resource efficiency, conservation, and greenhouse gas emissions. EPR can also support the development of recycling infrastructure and markets, create green jobs, and enhance consumer awareness and participation in waste reduction and recycling.

What are the benefits of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

Challenges of Extended Producer Responsibility and Implementing EPR

Implementing EPR has its challenges. Several factors impact the effectiveness and efficiency of EPR programs, such as compliance reporting and auditing requirements. These challenges require careful consideration and collaboration among stakeholders, including producers, regulators, waste management operators, and recyclers.

Whether private or public sector, organizations are facing various barriers to complying with EPR regulations, such as:

The need for harmonized EPR schemes across different jurisdictions creates complexity and confusion for producers operating in multiple markets.
The difficulty of tracking and reporting the amount and type of products and packaging placed on the market and the amount and quality of materials collected and recycled.
The potential trade-offs between environmental and cost objectives include balancing the costs and benefits of increasing recycling rates or using recycled content.
Program data collection and accuracy in tracking and managing program operations for compliance reporting, program oversight, and performance measurement.
The risk of ‘free-riding’ by non-compliant producers who benefit from the EPR system without paying their fair share of fees or taking responsibility for their products.

Accurate tracking is crucial for participants within an EPR model to meet their compliance reporting obligations and ensure efficient program operation. Compliance reporting refers to submitting data and information by producers to demonstrate that they have fulfilled their obligations under EPR programs. Compliance reporting is necessary for verifying compliance with regulations, evaluating the performance and impact of EPR programs, informing policy decisions and adjustments, providing feedback to producers on their progress and areas for improvement, and communicating results to the public.

Learn about the top data challenges in managing recycling operations.

Waste Management Software to Overcome EPR Reporting Challenges

Technology and innovation have been essential for the success of numerous EPR programs to overcome critical challenges by leveraging data to ensure the effectiveness and credibility of the EPR model. Often, organizations leverage Producer Responsibility Organizations (PRO) to manage the logistical challenges of operating within an EPR framework. However, compliance reporting can still be burdensome due to several factors, such as complex and varying requirements across different jurisdictions or regions, high frequency or volume of reporting, or high costs and risks associated with reporting.

Whether addressing EPR independently (Independent Producer Responsibility) or through a PRO, waste management and recycling tracking software can help overcome compliance reporting challenges:

Waste management and tracking software can help streamline reporting processes, reducing the burden of manual data collection and reporting.

A centralized data management and analysis platform reduces the risk of errors and discrepancies, ensuring consistency across reporting periods.

Standardize value-chain data capture across participants and provide a consistent format for reporting, reducing errors and discrepancies.

Analyze performance and identify trends to make informed decisions about waste management and recycling programs.

Get insights into the environmental impact of waste management practices to prioritize sustainability and environmental responsibility and demonstrate commitment to stakeholders.

Facilitate stakeholder collaboration with data for transparent reporting, allowing stakeholders to access and review waste management and recycling performance data.

Increase confidence in the accuracy and reliability of program operations with real-time data on recycling rates, program progress, and compliance.

Waste management and recycling tracking software like Diversys offers a range of benefits to organizations looking to achieve compliance with EPR regulations. With the ability to streamline reporting processes, standardize data capture, and provide real-time data and insights. Technology and innovation can help organizations overcome key EPR challenges and achieve sustainability goals more quickly and efficiently.

Tracking Successful EPR Programs with Data

EPR programs have been implemented in various countries and regions for products such as packaging, electronics, batteries, tires, textiles, and pharmaceuticals. Propper data capture and technology are essential for measuring the success of EPR across regions and industries.

Some examples of successful EPR programs are:

The European Union's Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive set mandatory recovery targets to recycle packaging waste for member states. The directive requires producers to work with PROs to manage the logistics and absorb the costs of collecting and recycling packaging waste. Accordingly, according to data compiled by Eurostat , the EU has already exceeded its 2025 target recycling rate of 65%, reaching a 67% recycling rate for packaging waste in 2016.

The Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA ) is a Canadian non-profit organization that operates regulated e-waste recycling programs across nine provinces. The EPRA collects fees from producers to fund the collection, transportation, and processing of e-waste by qualified recyclers. The EPRA estimates that its recycling program has diverted over one million tonnes of electronic waste from landfills.

Japan's Home Appliance Recycling Law requires consumers to pay a recycling fee when they dispose of specific home appliances, covering transporting and recycling costs. The law also mandates minimum recycling rates for each appliance category and for manufacturers to report their results annually. While recycling rates vary per home appliance product category, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) , noted a 92% recycling rate for Air Conditioners alone in 2021.

By ensuring data accuracy throughout the waste and recycling value chain, stakeholders can accelerate circularity and empower waste and recycling operations. Data accuracy can also improve confidence in local recycling programs and measure the benefits of extended producer responsibility.

Waste Management Data and Recycling Tracking Software for EPR

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks advance the circular economy, reduce waste generation, and minimize the cost burden for taxpayers and municipalities. However, implementing EPR programs can be challenging, as stakeholders need help complying with EPR regulations.

Waste management and recycling tracking software, such as Diversys , offer a range of benefits to organizations looking to achieve compliance with EPR regulations by streamlining reporting processes, standardizing data capture, and providing real-time data and insights. The success of EPR programs can be measured with accurate data capture, analysis, and reporting. There are already several successful EPR programs implemented globally. By leveraging technology and innovation, organizations can overcome key EPR challenges and achieve sustainability goals more efficiently.

Learn how Diversys is being used today to track and manage a regional used oil recycling program.

Tackling Food Waste in the U.S.: Challenges, Opportunities, and Impacts

Wed, 03 May 2023 12:43:25 GMT

Food waste is a global concern and on the rise with considerable environmental and economic consequences, including for North America. Reports from ReFED and the EPA show that food waste in the U.S. has increased since 2016, hitting a concerning average of 548 pounds of extra food per person. It is okay to breathe a (temporary) sigh of relief as recent data from ReFED indicates efforts to reduce food waste started to have an impact in 2019, suggesting food waste may have peaked.

The current food waste situation in the United States is filled with challenges, but it also presents opportunities to lessen waste and its effects on the environment and economy. Organizations like ReFED are at the forefront, emphasizing the importance of data and tracking to unlock insights that can drive real solutions for tackling food waste.

ReFED's Goals and the EPA's New Definition of Food Waste

As a national nonprofit, ReFED aims to reduce U.S. food waste by 50% by 2030 through data-driven solutions, aligning with the United Nations' sustainable development goals.

The EPA shares this commitment and has recently revised its food waste definition to match international standards.

The Current Food Waste Landscape and Its Impacts

Now, hold on to your hats as the data paints a stark picture of the current food waste landscape.

According to ReFED:
Approximately 38% of all food produced or imported in the U.S. ends up as waste annually. This translates to 149 billion uneaten meals yearly, valued at $444 billion (roughly 2% of GDP).

According to UNEP:
Food waste is more than just a social and ethical issue; it's a significant environmental and economic problem. An estimated 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are connected to unconsumed food.

According to the WEF:
Food waste carries a massive economic burden for producers and consumers, amounting to a global cost of $936 billion annually.

While the numbers are staggering, shocking even, having this data is actually a good thing, especially when we remember the adage, we cannot improve what we cannot measure.

To tackle the complex food waste problem effectively, it's crucial to continue harnessing data to track downstream waste management . Data collected to date is being used to unlock valuable insights, allowing organizations to take informed, targeted actions to reduce waste, conserve resources, and mitigate climate change.

Reducing Food Waste: Challenges and Opportunities

A. Legislation and Regulations

One of the challenges in reducing food waste is the need for consistent and comprehensive legislation and regulations at various levels of government. These inconsistencies can create confusion and disincentives for food businesses and consumers to reduce food waste.

Opportunities for policy interventions include standardizing date labels, expanding liability protection and tax incentives for food donation, implementing organic waste bans and recycling mandates, and supporting innovation funding and financing.

B. Technological Advancements

Another challenge is the need for digital transformation and technological advancements to support developing and adopting innovative solutions. There's a gap between the availability and accessibility of technologies that can help measure, monitor, prevent, or recover food waste across the supply chain.

Opportunities for increasing funding and technological advancements include establishing funds to provide grants to innovative organizations working to reduce consumer food waste. A unified data capture system can help create directories of solution providers that offer products or services capable of reducing food waste at various supply chain stages, streamlining efforts to achieve shared objectives.

C. Collaborations among Stakeholders

A third challenge is the need for greater collaboration among stakeholders that can enable systemic change. Food waste is a complex problem that affects every sector and segment of the food system, and no single actor can solve it alone.

Opportunities for collaboration among stakeholders can be fostered through increased granularity in food production, waste disposal, and diversion data. By sharing this information, diverse stakeholders across the food system can come together to identify best practices, develop innovative solutions, and collaborate on initiatives to reduce food waste effectively.

D. Education and awareness:

Lack of awareness and education around the issue of food waste is another significant contributor to the problem. Many people do not realize the scale of the issue or the impact that food waste has on the environment, economy, and society. Pre-conceptions about food storage, best-by-label dates and even aesthetic standards for food create a spiral effect on food waste in North American households.

By improving education and awareness, organizations can help consumers reduce their food waste and contribute to sustainability within the food system. The first step is ensuring people have a clear picture of the current situation and what they can do to limit their footprint.

Building a Resilient and Inclusive Food System

Addressing food waste is crucial for creating a resilient and inclusive food system that can withstand shocks and stresses like pandemics, natural disasters, and climate change. Reducing food waste can improve food security, nutrition, and health for millions of Americans facing hunger and malnutrition. Furthermore, promoting social justice and equity in the food system requires engaging diverse stakeholders and addressing the root causes of food waste, such as poverty, discrimination, and power imbalances.

Tackling food waste in North America (and globally) necessitates overcoming challenges such as legislation, funding, technological advancements, and collaboration. By harnessing technology, data, and monitoring, we can drive strategies for prevention, rescue, recycling, and enabling, ultimately making significant progress toward cutting food waste by 50% by 2030. In doing so, we will save valuable resources and mitigate climate change and create a more equitable and inclusive food system that leaves no one behind. The fight against food waste demands collective action, and the time for change is now.

Advancing Sustainability: The Role of Software in Enabling Circular Economies

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 17:31:02 GMT

A circular economy aims to minimize waste, keeping resources in production and consumption supply chains for as long as possible to maximize resource efficiency. This creates an economic system that is built around reducing the prevalence of take-make-waste where products end up in landfills. The Circular Economy achieves this through a production and consumption model that centers around recycling, repurposing, reclaiming and re-using products and materials.

Under a circular economy model, waste is viewed as a resource and materials are reused and recycled in a closed-loop system, reducing the need for virgin resources and minimizing negative environmental impacts. The circular economy aims to create a more sustainable and resilient economic model that is better for both people and the planet.

3 Key Principles of the Circular Economy

Designing Waste and pollution out
Keep materials and products in use
Re-generate and restore natural systems.

Circularity principles are gaining traction in various industries with the increased focus on environmental issues and because of the demonstrated economic opportunity the model is capable of driving.

Environmental Benefits of the Circular Economy

A circular economy has various benefits that can make it an attractive option for businesses and governments alike. One of the most significant benefits is reduced waste, pollution, and progress towards net zero and carbon reduction initiatives such as the Paris Climate Accord . Designing out waste and pollution means businesses can reduce their environmental footprint and improve their reputation among consumers who are increasingly conscious about sustainability issues.

The circular economy also promotes increased resource efficiency, which can actually lead to reduced costs for businesses and governments. It is estimated that over 100 billion tons of new resources – metals, minerals, fossil fuels, organic materials and more – enter the supply chain every year, and yet as little as 8.6% is recycled or re-used . Moving towards a circular economy can reduce our dependence on non-renewable resources, which by definition are limited.

Essentially, a circular economy reuses or refurbishes these items, ensuring that fewer non-renewables need to be consumed. This model encourages innovation in product design so that they are more durable, repairable, and adaptable. A circular economy can stimulate creativity and competitiveness in various sectors. Moreover, a circular economy can generate new jobs and income streams for people who are involved in activities such as collection, sorting, refurbishing, and recycling of materials.

Tracking Circular Economy Initiatives with Data

Data and software can play a crucial role in advancing a circular economy. They can support circular economy initiatives by providing insights and analysis that help identify opportunities for resource efficiency and waste reduction.

There are already examples of how technology is being used in a circular economy context. For instance, Diversys , provides cloud-based sustainability solutions to help businesses capture operational data to track their sustainability performance and identify areas for improvement. Data and software are becoming increasingly important in the circular economy. For example, advanced analytics could be used to optimize resource flows and identify new circular business models.

How Recycling Tracking and Waste Management Software is Used Today

There are numerous successful circular economy initiatives that use data and software. One example is the way an Electronics Recycling Stewardship is leveraging Diversys to digitalize the way waste is tracked from collection through transportation and processing. They’ve been able to unlock value-chain data to meet tracking and reporting requirements. This has allowed them to eliminate manual tracking processes and get real-time visibility of their reverse supply chain. Likewise, a Used Oil Steward in Canada is using Diversys for a similar purpose across hundreds of participants and operators. When data is captured at the source (when waste is collected), these organizations are able to generate accurate and reliable data to measure program performance, track environmental impact, and meet their regulatory reporting obligations.

Countless examples where software and data are helping organizations adopt circularity principles. For example, an initiative by the city of Amsterdam , which aims to become a circular city by 2050. The city is using data and software to map out its resource flows and identify opportunities for circular business models. The city is also promoting circular initiatives such as the sharing economy and the use of bio-based materials.

Challenges in Implementing a Circular Economy in the Digital Age

Despite the potential benefits of using data and software in a circular economy, there are also several challenges that need to be addressed. One of the biggest challenges is the fragmented nature of the industry and therefore the limited availability of accurate data. In many cases, data related to material flows, waste streams, and product lifecycles is not readily available or standardized, which makes it difficult to implement circular economy initiatives at scale.

The digital divide and access to technology is also a challenge in implementing a circular economy. There are a number of participants that make up the value chain and not all have access to the necessary technology and infrastructure to support circular economy initiatives. Addressing disparities can help centralize the circular economy and ensure tear down barriers to entry that prevent organizations, regions, and people from participating.

How Diversys is Contributing to a Circular Economy through Data and Software

At Diversys, we recognize the potential for data and software to support circular economy initiatives. We are committed to using our expertise in data analytics and software development to help organizations reduce waste, increase efficiency, and improve sustainability.

One example of our work is our waste management software solution, which uses data analytics to help organizations identify opportunities to reduce waste and increase recycling rates. By standardizing data collection, waste stream and material flows analysis can help identify areas where waste can be reduced, and materials can be reused or repurposed.

Another example is our recycling tracking platform’s ability to analyze data on material flows, transportation routes, and inventory levels. Accurate, valid data collected at the source means organizations can improve efficiency, identify areas for improvement, and generate reports for compliance.

At Diversys, our goal is to help organizations transition to a circular economy, leveraging data and software to increase operational efficiency and enable tracking and reduce waste.

Sustainability and Economic Growth through the Circular Economy

The circular economy offers a promising framework for achieving sustainable economic growth while minimizing waste and pollution. The role of data and software in advancing a circular economy cannot be overstated, as they can provide insights, enable optimization, and facilitate collaboration among stakeholders. While there are challenges to implementing a circular economy in the digital age, such as limited availability of data and the digital divide, these challenges can be addressed through collaboration and innovation.

As individuals and organizations, we have a responsibility to leverage data and software to support a circular economy. Technology and innovation will encourage collaboration across stakeholders to advance circular economy initiatives. This can include partnering with other businesses to create closed-loop supply chains or working with governments to develop policies that promote circularity. Collaboration can help to pool resources, share knowledge and expertise, and create a more conducive environment for circular economy initiatives to thrive. By working together towards common goals, stakeholders can take a data-driven approach to accelerating the transition to a more sustainable economic model, one that benefits both the environment and society as a whole.

Improving Waste and Recycling Efficiency with Cloud-Based Data Management

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 12:25:14 GMT

Navigating the waste and recycling management industry can be a challenging feat that requires high levels of operational efficiency. There can oftentimes be competing business objectives, such as customer demands, strict environmental regulations, and profitability goals. On top of the business challenges, recycling organizations must optimize resources, processes, and outputs to keep up with advancing environmental practices to deliver value to their customers and stakeholders. Most recently, there has been significant interest in tracking recycling rates and diversion activity to measure the performance, success, and progress of sustainability initiatives.

So, how can recycling organizations optimize resources, processes, and outputs while keeping up with evolving environmental practices and public policy? Like most industries these days, the answer lies in data and the cloud.

Key Indicators of Operational Efficiency in Waste Management

To better understand how businesses can optimize their waste management practices, it's essential to consider the following indicators of operational efficiency:

Customer satis faction and retention
Service quality and reliability
Waste diversion and recovery rates
Compliance with health and safety standards
Cost reduction and revenue generation
Innovation and continuous improvement
Adherence to public policy and regulatory requirements

Business and Operational Efficiency in Waste Management

Operational efficiency is essential for the success of waste and recycling companies and for achieving sustainability targets. According to the World Bank , global waste generation is expected to increase by 70% by 2050, reaching 3.4 billion tonnes annually. This poses significant environmental, social, and economic challenges, such as greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion, pollution, health risks, and poverty.

To address these challenges, organizations must adopt circular business models to reduce waste generation, reuse and recycle materials, and recover energy from waste. These models can help businesses create value from waste, reduce their environmental footprint, and contribute to global sustainability goals.

But implementing circular business models is far from a walk in the park. Waste and recycling operations involve multiple stakeholders, processes, and data sources. When we peel back the onion, there’s a number of business processes that drive recycling operations and need to be managed, such as:

Manage customer contracts, orders, claims, invoices, and payments
Plan and optimize collection, transportation, and processing
Track and monitor waste volumes, types, quality, and destinations
Report and analyze operational performance, costs, and revenues
Comply with local, national, and international regulations and standards
Communicate and collaborate with customers, suppliers, regulators, and partners

CHALLENGES IN ACHIEVING OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY IN WASTE AND RECYCLING MANAGEMENT

Achieving business and operational efficiency in waste and recycling operations takes work. Many companies face various challenges that hinder their efficiency and competitiveness, such as:

Lack of integration between different systems and data sources
Error-prone, manual and paper-based processes that cause delays
Inaccurate or incomplete data that affects decision-making and reporting
Limited visibility and control over operational activities and performance
Inability to adapt to changing customer needs, market conditions, and regulations
High costs of maintenance and upgrades of existing infrastructure
Lack of scalability of legacy and homegrown management systems

Improving the Efficiency of the Recycling Value Chain with a Data Management Platform

Despite these challenges, some waste and recycling companies have successfully improved their business and operational efficiency by leveraging cloud-based data management solutions. Cloud-based data management software applications are hosted on remote servers and accessed online. They offer various benefits for waste and recycling companies, such as:

Seamless integration of data from multiple sources and systems
Automation of workflows and processes across the entire value chain
Real-time data collection, analysis, and visualization
Enhanced visibility and control over operational activities and performance
Scalability and flexibility adapt business processes to changing requirements
Reduced costs of ownership, maintenance, upgrades, and management

Cloud-based data management stands out as a powerful solution to the operational challenges faced by waste and recycling businesses. By seamlessly integrating data from multiple sources, automating workflows, and providing real-time data analysis, the industry will evolve. Companies that adopt these innovative solutions gain a competitive advantage, significantly improve their efficiency, meet sustainability goals, and better navigate the complex world of waste management. Embracing cloud-based recycling data management is not just a smart business move; it's a vital step towards a greener, more sustainable future for all.

How the Diversys Recycling Data Management Platform Addresses Business and Operational Efficiency Challenges

Diversys is a cloud-based recycling software solution that simplifies data collection and management for recycling programs. Diversys enables users to:

Capture data from various sources using mobile devices or web portals

Standardize data capture and eliminate manual data tracking and management processes

Track program progress and recycling rates using live dashboards and performance metrics

Automate and calculate recycling transaction data using built-in tools that factor in complex scenarios and conditions

Communicate and collaborate with stakeholders using real-time, relevant, and accessible data

Using Diversys, recycling programs can improve data quality, accuracy, timeliness, accessibility, and usability of such data. This can lead to better insights, performance, accountability, and communication. Accurate, reliable data from recycling operations can boost confidence in local recycling programs among recyclers, authorities, service providers, and other stakeholders.

Diversys Waste Management and Recycling Software is purpose-built to help organizations achieve their EPR objectives. The platform reduces the burden of data tracking for compliance reporting so stakeholders can focus on measuring their performance and demonstrating their commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.

Diversys Commercial Waste Recycling EPR Software

Automating and streamlining the EPR reporting process:

Diversys Waste Management and Recycling Software automates and streamlines the reporting process for EPR compliance, reducing the burden of manual data collection and tracking. This ensures that organizations can meet their reporting obligations more efficiently.

Real-time data on recycling rates and program performance:

Diversys provides real-time data on recycling rates and program performance, allowing organizations to make informed decisions and adjust their strategies as needed. This helps organizations quickly identify compliance gaps and take corrective action.

Support for multiple regions and waste streams :

Diversys supports tracking, and data capture across numerous areas, jurisdictions, and waste streams. This means that organizations can meet their compliance obligations regardless of where they operate.

End-to-end reporting features :

Diversys reporting features allow organizations to create reports that meet their needs and requirements with end-to-end data capture. This helps organizations meet compliance obligations while providing stakeholders with the information they need to make informed decisions.

Tools for tracking and managing waste streams :

Diversys offers tools for monitoring and managing waste streams to optimize waste management practices. This helps organizations identify compliance gaps and take corrective action to meet their obligations.

Diversys expands the boundaries of what’s possible in waste and recycling management, regardless of your recovery stream or program's complexity. Whether you are managing a municipal solid waste program, an extended producer responsibility program, a deposit return system, or any other recycling program, learn how Diversys can empower your organization and help achieve sustainability goals and obligations.

What is Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and How Does It Work?

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 12:15:27 GMT

If you have ever bought a product and wondered what happens to it after you use it, you might be interested in learning about Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). An innovative policy approach, EPR makes producers (such as brand owners, first importers or manufacturers) responsible for the environmental impacts of their products throughout their life cycle. That includes what happens to these products when they become waste.

EPR aims to encourage producers to design more durable, reusable, recyclable, and less toxic products and to provide convenient and effective collection and recycling services for consumers. EPR also shifts waste management costs from taxpayers and municipalities to producers to create a more fair and efficient system.

Why is EPR happening?

EPR is happening because we are facing a global waste crisis. The amount of waste we generate is increasing every year, and much of it ends up in landfills, incinerators or the environment, where it causes pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and harm to wildlife. At the same time, we are depleting our natural resources and losing valuable materials that could be reused or recycled.

The World Bank estimates that global waste volume will increase 70% by 2050, reaching 3.4 billion tonnes generated annually. The report also noted that over one-third of the world’s waste comes from just 16% of the world’s population in high-income nations. The report from 2018 highlights the link between economic development and waste generation. Key findings from the report included:

Almost half of the world population (3.5 billion people) do not have access to modern waste management services.
It is estimated that 1.3 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste were generated in 2012 alone, and this number is expected to rise to 2.2 billion tonnes a year by 2025.
Economic development, industrialization, urbanization, and increasing populations are key contributors to the rise in waste generated.

While not a complete solution to the above challenges, EPR significantly impacts sustainability initiatives, driving recycling rates higher and promoting a circular economy to keep materials and products in use for as long as possible, and waste is minimized.

What are some examples of successful EPR programs?

A recent report from The Recycling Partnership looked at several EPR programs worldwide and found that the policy drove the recycling of target materials to over 75% in each region. EPR programs exist for various products and packaging in many countries. In Canada, for example, there are EPR programs for electronics, batteries, tires, paint, oil, beverage containers and more.

These programs are usually run by environmental stewardship and producer responsibility organizations (PROs). These organizations or industry associations act on behalf of producers to collect and recycle products at end-of-life. Consumers can drop off unwanted products at designated collection points or return them to retailers for free or with a refund. These organizations then ensure that the products are properly recycled or disposed of in an environmentally sound manner.

Some of the benefits of these programs include:

Reducing total waste sent to landfills or incinerators
Saving energy and resources by recovering valuable materials
Creating green jobs and supporting innovation in the recycling sector
Raising awareness and educating consumers about responsible consumption and disposal
Providing incentives for producers to improve their product design and environmental performance

Learn more about measuring the environmental and economic impact of Extended Producer Responsibility.

Driving Sustainability Initiatives with EPR

EPR is a powerful tool to improve environmental stewardship and sustainability. By making producers accountable for their products throughout their life cycle, EPR encourages them to consider the environmental impacts of their decisions and actions. By shifting environmental consumption costs, EPR encourages producers to design more sustainable products while motivating consumers to choose more eco-friendly products and dispose of them properly. EPR reduces waste, preserves resources, protects the environment, and promotes circularity.

Compliance Reporting and Auditing Requirements for Waste and Recycling Management

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 10:15:00 GMT

Waste and recycling management is crucial to environmental sustainability and social responsibility. It involves appropriately collecting, transporting, processing, disposing, and reusing waste materials generated by various activities and sectors. Waste and recycling management is about reducing the environmental impact of waste and complying with legal and regulatory requirements.

Compliance reporting and auditing are essential for ensuring that waste and recycling management processes follow applicable laws, standards, and best practices. Compliance reporting refers to collecting, analyzing, and submitting data and information on waste and recycling activities to the relevant authorities or stakeholders. Auditing refers to verifying, evaluating, and improving the quality and effectiveness of waste and recycling management systems and processes.

Whether industrial, commercial, or institutional sector, compliance reporting and auditing can be challenging and time-consuming, especially with multiple sites, different waste streams, and complex data to collect and analyze. Fortunately, software and technology platforms help simplify and streamline compliance reporting and auditing.

Why are compliance reporting and auditing essential for waste and recycling management?

How are waste and recycling organizations complying with reporting and auditing requirements?

The Importance of Compliance Reporting and Auditing in Waste Management

Compliance reporting and auditing are critical components of any waste management program, helping to:

Monitor waste generation, diversion, and disposal activities
Measure progress toward waste reduction goals
Identify opportunities for improvement and optimization
Demonstrate compliance with relevant regulations and standards
Communicate environmental performance to stakeholders

Depending on the sector, location, size, and type of waste, organizations may have to comply with different reporting and auditing requirements at the municipal, state/provincial, federal, or international levels. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy approach that requires designated organizations to report on regional recycling program operations where program data must be tracked and reported to relevant authorities.

Accurate recycling rate tracking, management, reporting, and auditing are essential for improving confidence in local recycling programs and encouraging consumers to participate in micro and macro sustainability initiatives. Compliance reporting and auditing can also help achieve various certifications or accreditations to enhance reputation and competitiveness. For example, Zero Waste Canada or ISO 14064 require and encourages businesses to conduct waste audits and report on their waste data.

Challenges in Complying with Reporting and Auditing Requirements

While compliance reporting and auditing can bring many benefits, it also poses several challenges, such as:

Collecting accurate and consistent data from multiple sources
Managing different formats, units, and standards of data
Analyzing large volumes of data and generating meaningful insights
Producing clear and comprehensive reports that meet the requirements of different audiences
Keeping up with changing regulations and standards
Ensuring data security and privacy

Organizations face several challenges when complying with recycling reporting and auditing requirements, many deserving of their own articles, such as the top data challenges in recycling operations . These challenges can make compliance reporting and auditing a daunting and tedious task for many businesses. They can also increase the risk of errors, omissions, or inconsistencies affecting your compliance status or credibility.

Software and Technology for Recycling Compliance Reporting and Auditing

Software solutions such as Diversys can help overcome these challenges and improve your compliance reporting and auditing process, by:

Automating data collection and calculations from various sources, transporters, collectors, and processors
Integrate data from different systems, such as accounting, inventory, or CRM
Homogenize data formats, units, and standards
Validate data quality and accuracy
Store data securely in a cloud-based platform
Analyze data using advanced tools, such as dashboards, graphs, or charts
Generate customized reports that meet specifications
Share reports easily with other stakeholders, such as regulators, customers, or investors

By using waste recycling technology solutions, organizations can save time, money, and resources while meeting compliance requirements. Various participants in the recycling value chain can even leverage recycling tracking software to accelerate circularity and improve program performance .

Technology Solutions for Meeting Waste Management and Recycling Compliance Obligations

Compliance reporting and auditing are crucial for waste management and tracking progress toward improved environmental practices across regions and industries. Monitoring program performance and the impact of waste program policies can help identify gaps, demonstrate compliance, enhance transparency, improve customer satisfaction, and support ongoing sustainability initiatives.

However, many organizations need help complying with requirements. Technology can help overcome these challenges, and specialized software can help improve compliance reporting auditing capabilities by automating data collection, integration, validation, and analysis. These solutions can help streamline processes, reduce costs, increase transparency, and improve trust while fostering industry-wide innovation.

Accelerating Circularity by Empowering Waste and Recycling Operations

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 10:30:03 GMT

The circular economy is changing how goods are produced, and business is done by focusing on material reclamation and recycling to eliminate waste. Circularity is a system that seeks to recover as much value as possible from product and resource consumption. This involves reusing, repairing, remanufacturing, and recycling end-of-life products and materials. It is a collaborative effort between businesses, governments, and consumers to drive more robust environmental and sustainability practices. The circular economy recognizes waste as a resource instead of a cost.

Digitalization is one of the essential next steps for accelerating circularity. By taking a data-driven approach to recycling operations, all involved can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and accelerate the environmental impact of their efforts. Everyone can benefit from a more data-driven approach to recycling, from waste generators to recycling management companies. Each participant can benefit and experience unique benefits that streamline operations while contributing to the circular economy by transforming how they approach sustainability.

Several participants and stakeholders are leading the way in transforming consumption from a linear system of take-make-waste into a circular one. Each participant plays their part in driving greater sustainability practices, but accelerating the impact and adoption of circularity principles requires digitalization to foster greater collaboration while streamlining operations.

How Waste Generators Can Use Digital Solutions to Drive Circular Economy Initiatives

Waste generators create waste by using or disposing of products. They can be individuals, households, businesses or institutions. They have a responsibility to reduce their waste generation, separate their waste for collection and recycling, and depending on regional recycling programs and laws, they may be required to pay for the cost of waste management.

The traditional approach to waste management can be inefficient, costly, and not always environmentally friendly. Digital solutions could help waste generators address these obstacles while getting a detailed picture of their contributions to sustainability efforts. Data from recycling operations could allow waste generators to analyze, predict, and better manage recycling operations within their organization.

By leveraging technology, waste generators can enhance their contribution to the circular economy and drive better environmental and economic outcomes.

How Recycling Software Streamlines Recycling Operations so Producers can Meet EPR and ESG Standards

Producers design, manufacture, sell, or import products. They are responsible for ensuring their products are durable, repairable, reusable and recyclable. They can also offer sharing or take-back programs and, in some cases, provide drop-off locations to make it easier for consumers to responsibly dispose of waste such as batteries, electronics, and paint. Under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation , producers are responsible for the costs of recycling their end-of-life products.

Recycling software can help producers meet compliance requirements for EPR and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards, while demonstrating their environmental impact. By automating the tracking and reporting of product recycling activities, producers can work more closely with their partners to meet legal obligations and reduce the risk of penalties or fines for non-compliance. Digital transformation can also help producers identify areas to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and optimize their recycling operations.

Unlocking recycling lifecycle data by digitalizing means producers can better track the entire lifecycle of their products, from design to disposal. Additionally, by monitoring their products' impact on the environment and society, producers can demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and transparency and differentiate themselves from competitors who are not committed to the circular economy.

Digitalizing with Software to Drive More Efficient Operations for Recyclers

Recyclers collect, sort, and process waste materials to convert them into new products or raw materials. Recyclers can be private companies, social enterprises, cooperatives, or government-run. They are responsible for ensuring efficient, safe and environmentally sound recycling processes. They can also create new markets and demand for recycled materials. Numerous organizations participate in downstream recycling operations, including:

Waste managers

Waste managers provide waste collection, transportation and disposal services. They can be municipal governments, private contractors or public-private partnerships. They are responsible for ensuring that their waste management systems are reliable, affordable and compliant with regulations. They can also adopt best practices and technologies to improve operational efficiency, tracking, diversion rates and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Processors

Processors transform recycled materials into new products or raw materials. They can be manufacturers, converters or fabricators. They are responsible for converting recycled materials into useable products that can be incorporated into new goods, or they may use recycled materials in their production processes. They can also innovate and develop new products or applications from recycled materials.

Transporters

Transporters move waste materials from one place to another. They can be truck drivers, rail operators or shipping companies. They must ensure safe, efficient, tracked, and low-carbon transportation methods. They can use digital solutions to optimize logistical management and reduce costs and emissions.

These recycling organizations can leverage recycling software to improve efficiency, better serve clients, and reduce costs. Recyclers can streamline their operations and reduce the risk of errors by automating processes such as material tracking, claims, and reporting. They can also use data to identify trends, optimize their sorting and processing methods, and increase recovery. Digital solutions can enable recyclers to offer more customized services to clients, such as real-time tracking of waste material movement or customized reporting.

Recycling software can also unlock program data for recyclers, allowing them to make data-driven decisions about their operations. By analyzing data on materials, costs, and performance, recyclers can identify areas for improvement, increase their diversion rates, and make their operations more sustainable. Additionally, data analysis can help recyclers identify new market opportunities and make more informed decisions about investments and partnerships .

Maximizing Program Effectiveness with Recycling Software for Better Stewardship

Stewards oversee, fund, and manage waste diversion programs for specific products or materials. They can be industry associations, non-governmental organizations, authorities, or producer responsibility organizations (PROs). They have a responsibility to ensure programs are effective, transparent and accountable. They can also collaborate with other stakeholders to harmonize standards and policies for waste diversion.

With digital solutions, stewards can collaborate with other stakeholders to harmonize standards and policies for waste diversion while eliminating redundant, manual data collection and entry processes. Access to quality, accurate data from operations means Stewards can identify and implement new best practices and strategies for waste diversion that benefit the environment and the economy.

Digitalization with recycling software can lead to better program management by standardizing data collection, enabling real-time reporting, and providing 360-degree visibility of regional program operations. Utilizing recycling software means Stewards can easily track and monitor programs, identify areas for improvement, make data-driven decisions, and efficiently enforce legislation.

Recycling Software for Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) to Streamline Program Administration

Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) operate waste diversion programs on behalf of producers. They can be non-profit entities or for-profit companies. They are responsible for collecting fees from producers based on their market share or product weight and then use those fees to pay for collecting and recycling their products under EPR. PROs are involved in logistical coordination across the various stages of the recycling supply chain. They can also educate consumers and businesses about proper disposal practices and recycling options.

Recycling software can help PROs track program lifecycles and ensure compliance with regulations on behalf of their clients, offering increased transparency and accountability. Recycling software can help PROs better manage their relationships with waste managers, recyclers, and transporters by streamlining processes such as material tracking, reporting, and auditing. Recycling software can also provide PROs with real-time visibility into the status of their programs, allowing them to make informed decisions about program management and optimization.

Recycling software can also help PROs standardize data collection and reporting. Digital solutions can make it easier for PROs to track and report on their waste diversion programs, ensuring they meet regulatory requirements and are transparent and accountable to their clients. With recycling software, PROs can drive better environmental and economic outcomes by offering increased visibility and data-driven decision-making.

Enforcing Compliance and Promoting Transparency with Recycling Software for Government

Governments set regional rules and regulations for waste management and recycling. It can be a federal, provincial, or municipal level of government. Government bodies are responsible for creating a level playing field for all participants, enforcing compliance, and monitoring performance. They can also provide incentives, support and guidance for circular economy initiatives.

Recycling software can help governments track, report, and monitor regional recycling programs for compliance and adherence to sustainability outcomes. It can offer real-time data visibility to inform decision-making and provide standardized data collection and reporting for improved transparency and accountability. By leveraging recycling software, governments can optimize their waste management and recycling operations, enforce regulations more effectively, and promote greater environmental stewardship.

Another significant benefit of recycling software for governments is the ability to track economic impacts. By collecting data on the costs and benefits of waste diversion programs, recycling software can enable governments to identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce costs. This can help maximize the economic benefits of recycling and ensure that programs deliver value for taxpayers.

Leveraging Recycling Program Data to Inspire Confidence

Consumers buy and use products. They can be individuals, households or businesses. They are responsible for making informed choices about the products they buy, using them wisely and disposing of them properly. They can also demand more sustainable products and services from producers and support circular economy businesses.

Recycling software and data from the circular supply chain can inspire consumer confidence in recycling programs and educate recycling best practices. When consumers are armed with more information about the products they purchase and how to recycle them properly, they are more likely to participate in recycling programs and make informed decisions that benefit the environment. Providing consumers with easy-to-access information about recycling programs and best practices can encourage more widespread participation in recycling efforts.

Accelerating Circularity with Digital Solutions for all Stakeholders

Digitalization is an essential step toward accelerating the transition to a circular economy. Recycling software solutions could empower waste and recycling operations, improve efficiency, reduce costs, and demonstrate environmental impact. Adopting digital technology by all participants in the circular economy can enhance their contribution to the circular economy, drive better environmental and economic outcomes, and enable them to differentiate themselves from competitors.

Recycling software can help stakeholders meet compliance requirements, track the entire lifecycle of their products, and offer more customized services to clients. Additionally, by monitoring their products' impact on the environment and society, participants can demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and transparency and differentiate themselves from competitors who may not be as committed to the circular economy. The circular economy is a way to reduce waste and minimize environmental impact, create new economic opportunities, and foster innovation. By leveraging data and analytics, recycling operations can become more efficient, and stakeholders can work together to create a more sustainable future.

Empowering Participants and Stakeholders in the Circular Economy with Diversys Recycling Software

One of the challenges recycling participants face is managing and optimizing data and workflows from such a complex and dynamic system. This is where Diversys can help.

Diversys is a cloud-based platform that provides end-to-end solutions for managing waste recycling operations. Diversys supports and empowers the participants and stakeholders in the circular economy by providing them with the tools, data, and insights they need to optimize their recycling programs.

Diversys is more than just a software company. We partner with recycling participants who want to embrace the circular economy and achieve sustainability goals. By connecting the dots between participants and stakeholders in the circular economy, Diversys enables them to collaborate more effectively, innovate more creatively, and impact sustainability.

Learn more about Diversys and how we help your organization become a circular economy champion with specialized cloud-based software. Visit https://diversys.com/solution .

Improving Confidence in Local Recycling Programs with Data

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 13:29:19 GMT

Recycling is a critical function proven to be an effective method for reducing waste, conserving resources, and contributing to economic output. However, many people need more confidence in their local recycling programs and are unsure if their efforts are making a difference. According to the Recycling Confidence Index, a survey by The Recycling Partnership, only 52% of Americans are confident that their recyclables are recycled (The Recycling Partnership, 2021). Low confidence levels can undermine motivation, participation, and the credibility and sustainability of recycling programs. North Americans aren’t alone in this sentiment. A lack of confidence in recycling programs is as much a regional issue as an international one .

So, what can be done to improve confidence in local recycling programs?

This article will explore some causes and solutions for this challenge and how Diversys can support recycling rate tracking to enhance trust and performance through data.

Why People Lack Confidence in Their Local Recycling Programs

A key reason people lack confidence in their local recycling programs is the lack of operational data needed for transparency and accountability from the stakeholders involved. Many people do not know how their materials are processed, where they end up, how much they contribute to environmental and economic benefits, and how their feedback is incorporated into program improvement. Some may also doubt the recycling system's integrity and reliability, especially in light of recent changes in global markets and policies that have disrupted the flow and value of recyclable materials.

A lack of clear and consistent communication from authorities and service providers compounds these concerns. Many people are unsure about what can and cannot be recycled, how to prepare their materials, where to drop them off, and what happens after collection. Some people may receive conflicting or outdated information from different sources, such as websites, labels, flyers, or social media. This can lead to frustration, confusion, and contamination of recyclable materials.

What Governments and Recycling Stewardship Organizations Can Do to Fix This

To address these issues and improve confidence in local recycling programs, governments and stewardship organizations must take proactive and collaborative actions, some of which are already well underway.

Providing regular and accurate information to the public about the status and performance of recycling programs, such as recycling rates, environmental impacts, economic benefits, challenges, and opportunities.

Developing and implementing data-backed national or regional standards and guidelines for recycling practices, such as collection methods, sorting criteria, quality control, reporting requirements, and education campaigns.

Investing in infrastructure, technology, innovation, and market development to enhance recycling processes and products' efficiency, quality, value, and diversity.

Supporting research and evaluation to measure the effectiveness and outcomes of recycling programs and identify areas for improvement.

Engaging with the public and other stakeholders to solicit feedback, address concerns, share best practices, and foster a sense of ownership and responsibility for recycling.

Read about the State of Virginia’s recycling rate recommendations and the pivotal role data will play in ensuring they achieve these targets.

How Diversys Supports Recycling Rate Tracking to Improve Confidence in Local Recycling Programs

One of the critical factors that can improve confidence in local recycling programs is having accurate data that can demonstrate the sustainability impact of recycling activities. Data can also help to monitor progress, identify gaps, inform decisions, build reports, and be audited. However, collecting and managing data can be challenging for many recycling programs due to the complexity and variability of the recycling system.

This is where Diversys can help. Diversys is a cloud-based recycling software solution that simplifies data collection and management for recycling programs.

Diversys enables users to:

Capture data from various sources using mobile devices or web portals
Standardize data capture and eliminate manual data tracking and management processes
Track program progress and recycling rates
Analyze data using dashboards or custom reports
Share data with stakeholders using secure cloud integrations or export options
Deliver a complete, auditable picture of recycling operations via reliable data

Using Diversys, recycling programs can improve data quality, accuracy, timeliness, accessibility, and usability. This can lead to better insights, performance, accountability, and communication. Ultimately, this can boost confidence in local recycling programs among recyclers, authorities, service providers, and other stakeholders.

Accurate Recycling Program Data and Rate Tracking

Accurate recycling program data and rate tracking are crucial for improving confidence in local recycling programs. By providing transparent and accountable information about recycling processes and outcomes, stakeholders can better understand the positive impacts of their recycling efforts and the challenges that need to be addressed. Waste diversion and recycling software offer a comprehensive solution for collecting and managing recycling program data, enabling programs to track progress, analyze trends, and share information with stakeholders.

Accurate data tracking and reporting capabilities will also help recycling programs operators, stewards, and government stakeholders enhance their credibility and foster a culture of responsibility and ownership for recycling. As the momentum continues for the adoption of circular economy principles, data-driven recycling tracking solutions can improve confidence in recycling programs with demonstrated sustainability impact, performance reporting, and program auditing.

Measuring the Benefits of Extended Producer Responsibility

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 15:48:04 GMT

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is gaining considerable traction as a mechanism for increasing recycling rates and re-enforcing the value of circularity principles. This policy approach shifts costs and responsibility for managing waste from municipalities to producers. EPR has been implemented in many countries for various product categories, such as packaging, electronics, batteries, tires, and pharmaceuticals. From production to disposal, EPR aims to promote the circular economy and reduce the environmental impact of a product's life cycle.

But what are the environmental, economic, and societal benefits of EPR? How can we capture the data necessary to measure them?

Environmental and Sustainability Benefits of EPR

One of the main benefits of EPR is that it reduces the amount of waste in landfills or incinerators and increases the recovery and recycling of materials. This helps conserve natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and prevent pollution. A recent report from The Recycling Partnership estimates that U.S. recycling rates could reach as high as 75% for most examined states under EPR. An analysis of the effectiveness of EPR programs in other jurisdictions like British Columbia, Quebec, Spain, and Portugal supports these estimates. Another study by the Circularity Gap found that doubling up on circularity principles could lead to a 39% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions by 2032.

Data on wa ste generation, collection, sorting, recycling, and disposal is essential to measure these environmental benefits. Data can help track the performance of EPR programs, identify gaps and opportunities for improvement, and benchmark best practices across regions and sectors.

Economic and Job Creation Opportunities of EPR

Another benefit of EPR is that it stimulates innovation and competitiveness in the production and recycling sectors. EPR makes producers responsible for their product's end-of-life management while creating market demand for more durable, reusable, and recyclable products. This can spur innovation in product design, materials selection, and manufacturing processes.

EPR can also foster new business models based on product-service systems, such as leasing, renting, or sharing products instead of selling them.

Moreover, EPR can create economic opportunities and jobs in the recycling industry. By increasing the supply and quality of recyclable materials, EPR can lower the costs and increase the revenues of recycling operations. This can attract more investment and employment in this sector. For example, a 2019 review of recycling programs in Alberta found an estimated $180M in gross value added to the provincial economy, and approximately 1500 jobs were created. Another study by Eunomia Research found that the reuse economy in Minnesota had the highest recycling rates of any state examined, could be worth $5 billion, and contributes 45000 jobs.

Better waste and recycling management data is necessary to support attribution for improved production costs, revenues, market share, innovation, investment flows, and employment levels. Data can help evaluate the economic impacts of EPR policies on producers and recyclers, as well as on consumers and society as a whole. Data can also help assess the potential for value creation and job creation in the circular economy.

Social Impact and Regional Benefits of EPR

Another benefit of EPR is that it can improve social welfare and equity by reducing health risks, increasing consumer awareness, and enhancing social inclusion. EPR can reduce health risks associated with improper waste management practices, such as burning or dumping waste in open areas. These practices cause air pollution, water contamination, and soil degradation, affecting human health and well-being and straining local ecosystems. For example, a study by ILSR estimated that EPR programs for pharmaceuticals in the US could prevent up to 33 deaths and 8,000 poisonings per year by reducing the improper disposal of unused or expired medications.

EPR can also increase consumer awareness and engagement in waste reduction and recycling behaviours. Governments and stewards can leverage EPR and data to communicate the ecological costs of products and incentivize consumers to choose more sustainable options. For example, the National Institute of Health research shows that scrap steel creates 97% less waste than mining virgin ore and requires 40% less water. Robust recycling data capture methods are pivotal to supporting the social impact and tracking the regional benefits of EPR.

Measuring the Impact and Benefits of EPR

A strong Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy approach can deliver multiple environmental, economic, and societal benefits. EPR is already reducing waste dumping into landfills, increasing recycling rates, and promoting ecological restoration by enforcing alternative waste disposal and diversion methods. The policy approach also creates new opportunities for innovation, job creation and economic growth by optimizing the waste recycling supply chain and management. The social impact of EPR is fostering greater collaboration among various stakeholders in the product life cycle, such as consumers, producers, governments and recyclers.

Accurate and standardized data capture is crucial for measuring these benefits and demonstrating the impact of circularity principles. Diversys is a cloud recycling software solution that helps measure and track the benefits of EPR by standardizing the approach to value-chain data capture across participants. Diversys provides a comprehensive view of waste management performance, compliance and impact across different regions and programs.

Diversys provides organizations with the data visibility necessary to make data-driven decisions and continuously improve their programs and operations. With analytics, auditing, and reporting capabilities, the platform unlocks hidden insights while ensuring organizations can track their progress toward meeting their targets. Diversys offers scalability, flexibility and security for EPR program management.

Quality Data Capture for Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal to Meet Extended Producer Responsibility Requirements in Quebec

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 15:49:43 GMT

Incoming Requirements for Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal

The improper disposal of pharmaceutical waste seriously threatens our environment and health. From contaminating water sources to contributing to drug resistance, there are severe consequences from neglecting proper disposal of unused or expired medications and other pharmaceutical waste. Fortunately, a practical policy approach, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), is gaining traction globally. In Quebec, under the Environment Quality Act, pharmaceutical companies must implement safe disposal and collection programs by June 30, 2024 .

Under these EPR regulations, pharmaceutical companies are held responsible for the environmental impact of their products throughout their entire life cycle, including end-of-life management. Producers will be incentivized to design more durable, reusable, and recyclable products while providing consumers with convenient and cost-effective ways to return their products for proper disposal or recycling.

Pharmaceutical companies must effectively track and report on collection and disposal activities to meet these regulations. Pharmaceutical producers will have to act quickly as the June 2024 deadline quickly approaches. Waste and Recycling Management software is one of the best tools that these organizations can adopt as accurate data capture will be essential for ensuring producers can meet these sustainability requirements. Recycling software is a powerful digital tool that allows producers to measure, track and report on their waste management performance, optimize waste reduction strategies, identify cost savings opportunities, and demonstrate the impact of their environmental programs.

Recycling software for accurate, quality data capture will be crucial for meeting these EPR requirements and can help pharmaceutical companies track their waste disposal and meet their obligations.

Recycling Software to Comply with EPR Regulation and Improve Business Processes

In Canada, EPR policies vary across provinces and territories. Quebec is one province that recently announced draft EPR regulations for various products, including pharmaceuticals. This will require pharmaceutical companies to establish a mechanism for the safe collection and disposal of their products distributed in Quebec. One of the challenges pharmaceutical companies face when complying with EPR regulations is finding a suitable software solution that can meet the needs of their unique value chains to capture accurate recycling data.

Data capture can help pharmaceutical companies meet their EPR obligations, gain business insight, and improve processes. Data capture refers to collecting, storing and analyzing information about product flows, quantities, qualities, locations and destinations. Pharmaceutical companies need accurate data capture throughout their product life cycle to comply with these regulations.

Recycling software offers EPR-specific benefits such as:

Streamlining the data capture process across the entire value chain by logging collection at various recycling points such as collection sites, haulers, processors, recyclers etc.
Automating the data analysis and reporting process by generating customized reports on product flows, quantities, qualities, locations and destinations
Improved operational efficiency by simplifying compliance reporting, recyclables traceability throughout the supply chain, and diversion rate tracking
Improving data accuracy and reliability by reducing human errors and increasing data security
Enhancing the data accessibility and visibility by enabling real-time updates and facilitating data integration with other systems

Pharmaceutical companies can use recycling software solutions to meet their EPR obligations, gain business insight, and improve processes. Recycling software solutions can also help organizations achieve a competitive edge by reducing costs, increasing efficiency and enhancing customer satisfaction.

EPR Benefits of Recycling Software for Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal Data Capture

In Quebec, pharmaceutical companies must offer and finance services that collect and safely dispose of expired or unused medications throughout the province by June 30, 2024. Software solutions can help them monitor their compliance with the regulation, optimize their logistics and operations, and report their environmental performance to RECYC-QUÉBEC (This government agency oversees EPR programs in Quebec).

Recycling software can help organizations power their waste collection and disposal programs in several ways:

Track and report on their waste management performance:

Recycling software can help producers collect data on the quantity, type, source, destination, and cost of their waste products. This data can generate reports that comply with the EPR regulations and show how producers meet their targets and obligations.

Optimize waste reduction strategies:

Producers can analyze their data and identify areas where they can reduce waste generation or increase recycling rates. For example, they can compare different collection methods or providers, evaluate the effectiveness of their awareness-raising measures, or explore alternative disposal options such as reuse or donation.

Realize Time and cost savings:

Producers and participants can monitor spending on waste management services and find ways to lower their costs. That could mean negotiating better rates with service providers based on accurate data or avoiding penalties for non-compliance with EPR regulations. In addition, powerful commercial-grade recycling software helps eliminate time-consuming, redundant, and manual processes such as digitizing paper records or manually entering data into legacy software systems.

Demonstrate the impact of their environmental programs:

Quality data capture through recycling software allows producers to showcase their environmental achievements and communicate them to stakeholders such as customers, regulators, investors or employees. They can create dashboards or data visualizations that illustrate how they reduce their environmental footprint, diversion activities' impact, and contributions to circular economy goals.

Check out this article that explores the benefits of recycling software for recycling rate tracking.

How Diversys Recycling Software Streamlines Data Collection and Monitoring of Waste Disposal Programs

Diversys offers commercial recycling software that simplifies recycling data collection to enable seamless analysis and reporting by providing features such as:

In-field data capture:

Diversys offers an easy-to-use mobile application that allows in-field data capture through smartphones or tablets. This ensures recycling operations data is consistently collected at the source, standardizing records immediately. The mobile app enables program participants to capture data on the go using smartphones or tablets, including from remote locations. Once an internet connection is established to the device, the in-field data is immediately uploaded to the cloud, ensuring every stakeholder in the value chain has real-time access to quality data from recycling program operations.

Single platform for managing program activities:

Diversys ensures program participants have complete visibility into recycling operations through a single web application. Operators can universally configure program criteria, including sites, material types, waste streams, measurement types, rates, and more. Program operators can also quickly set or change user permissions and add or revoke access, including for business partners.

The platform also makes records management easy. Operators can instantly review, amend, and approve transactions through the web application instead of calling and emailing participants. Finally, Diversys can process claims from recycling transactions, streamlining a vital component of the invoicing process for program participants.

Data analysis and reporting:

Diversys provide tools for data analysis in the web application, allowing operators to sort, filter, and visualize recycling program data for easy analysis. Program participants, including producers, can unlock critical business insights necessary for data-driven decision-making. This complete data availability from program operations also allows operators to export the data required for reporting and auditing to meet EPR compliance obligations.

Recycling Software to Comply with Pharmaceutical EPR Regulation

Recycling software is vital for pharmaceutical companies to comply with EPR regulations and improve their business processes. EPR regulation requires producers to take responsibility for collecting, sorting, processing and recycling their products, including drugs and medical waste. Diversys recycling software empowers producers working to meet pharmaceutical EPR with the ability to capture accurate and quality data on their waste disposal activities. This data is essential for meeting reporting requirements and demonstrating environmental performance. Diversys software can also help streamline data monitoring to optimize waste reduction strategies, identify cost savings opportunities, and enhance sustainability outcomes. Recycling software is a compliance necessity and a competitive advantage for pharmaceutical companies in the era of EPR regulation.

Top 5 Data Challenges in Recycling Operations

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 14:29:44 GMT

Recycling operations are essential for reducing waste, conserving resources and protecting the environment. However, recycling operations also face many data challenges that prevent them from capitalizing on the circular economy. The circular economy is a system where materials and products are reused, repaired and recycled, minimizing waste and maximizing value. To achieve this, recycling operations need to have access to reliable, accurate and timely data on their processes, materials and markets.

One of the root causes of data challenges in recycling operations is disconnected data sources. Recycling operations often rely on multiple systems and platforms to collect, store and analyze data from different stages, such as collection, transportation, sorting, and processing. These systems may not be compatible or integrated, leading to data silos, duplication, and inconsistency. This makes it difficult for recycling operations to have a holistic view of their performance, identify opportunities for improvement and respond to changing market conditions.

1. Recycling Program Data Silos Restrict Oversight and Reporting

Data silos are a primary challenge in recycling operations and occur when different departments, systems or stakeholders have access to different or incomplete data sets. This problem hinders communication, collaboration, and decision-making across the entire recycling value chain.

For example, collectors need access to real-time information about material types, quantities, and locations to increase efficiency and reduce costs. Similarly, processors need access to accurate data about material quality, composition, and demand to avoid producing low-value products or incurring unnecessary expenses. Other participants, such as producers, stewards, or PROs, may need access to data across the supply chain for reporting and auditing.

Data silos can also affect compliance and reporting requirements for recycling operations. Regulatory agencies across North America and around the world are legislating for more detailed information on recycling activities than ever before. This data is essential for:

ensuring accountability
supporting the shift towards Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
Measuring reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprints
seizing the economic opportunities of environmental circularity – everything from gross value add to job creation.

Recycling operations may struggle to meet these demands and without a centralized and standardized data platform there is an increased risk of penalties and fines.

2. Lack of Data Capture Standardization and Transparency Complicate Recycling Rate Tracking

Another data challenge in recycling operations is the need for more standardization and transparency across different data sources. Recycling operations often rely on multiple systems or vendors for collecting data. However, these systems may use different formats, definitions or metrics for measuring key performance indicators (KPIs) such as material type, volume, diversion rates, contamination rates or greenhouse gas emissions. This can lead to inconsistencies, errors or data quality and accuracy discrepancies.

These data variances mean recycling participants lack visibility into their data and their partners' data. For instance:

Collectors may not know how much material they are delivering to processors or where it ends up;
Processors may not know how much material they are receiving from collectors or where it is from;
Re-manufacturers may not know how much recycled content they are buying or what environmental benefits they are generating;
Producers may not get an accurate picture of the effectiveness of the recycling program they are funding to meet their EPR obligations;
Governments and regulators may not get the visibility needed to understand legislative effectiveness, make funding decisions, or pursue enforcement.

This lack of transparency can undermine stakeholders' trust and accountability, limiting improvement opportunities.

3. Variances in Recycling Data Quality and Accuracy

A third data challenge in recycling operations is ensuring the quality and accuracy of the data collected and used. Recycling operations deal with complex and dynamic waste streams that vary in composition, volume and value depending on factors such as seasonality, weather conditions, consumer behaviour, or market demand. Therefore, recycling operations need reliable and precise methods for capturing and validating data at every stage, from source separation to final disposition.

However, many recycling operations still rely on manual or outdated methods for collecting and reporting data, such as paper forms, spreadsheets, or visual inspections. These methods are prone to human error, bias, fraud or manipulation, resulting in inaccurate or incomplete data.

For example, if collectors do not record their loads correctly, they may overestimate or underestimate their diversion rates; if processors do not test or verify their material, they may produce low-quality products that do not meet specifications; if producers do not track their recycling programs accurately, they may inadvertently make false claims about their sustainability efforts.

4. Data Trust and Validation Missing from the Recycling Value Chain

Recyclers must ensure their data is trustworthy and validated by following industry standards and best practices. However, disconnected data sources can compromise trust and validation by creating gaps or errors in data collection, transmission and storage. This can expose recycling operations to legal risks, financial losses and reputational damage.

A significant environmental problem caused by a lack of trust and validation is the contamination of recycled materials by hazardous substances or non-recyclable items. This can reduce the value of recycled materials or make them unsuitable for further use. A lack of trust and validation can also lead to inaccurate reporting or billing of recycled materials by source, weight, volume, or quality. This can result in an overpayment, underpayment, or even poisoning of the supply chain when contaminated material types are processed incorrectly.

5. The Hidden Costs of Failing to Operationalize Data from Recycling Operations

Recycling operations need to be able to operationalize their data by turning it into actionable insights that can improve their efficiency, effectiveness and profitability. Disconnected data sources prevent operationalization by limiting access, visibility and data analysis across different systems. This can stop recycling operations from making informed decisions, adjusting strategies and solving problems.

The inability to operationalize data creates inefficiency in recycling processes and can increase greenhouse gas emissions, fuel consumption and operating costs. This can result in a loss of competitiveness and restrict a recycler's ability to innovate, adapt, or differentiate. That means a market share reduction, negatively impacting customer satisfaction, or even prohibiting the business from pursuing revenue growth opportunities.

Consolidating Recycling Data to Capitalize on the Circular Economy

The solution to the data challenges in recycling operations lies in consolidating data sources and standardizing data capture. By integrating data from different systems and devices, recycling operators can gain a holistic view of their processes, performance, and impact. Adopting standard data formats and protocols can ensure consistency, transparency, and accuracy across recycling data streams.

Consolidating and standardizing data can bring environmental and business benefits to recycling operations. It can also help measure waste generation, improve resource efficiency, optimize logistics, enhance customer service, and increase profitability. Consolidating data supports compliance with regulations, reporting requirements, and sustainability goals and is essential for capitalizing on the circular economy.

Technology and software are critical enablers for data consolidation and standardization. Cloud-based platforms can collect, store, analyze, and visualize data from multiple sources. It can help recycling operators transform their business models, create new value propositions, and deliver better outcomes for their customers and the environment.

Commercial Recycling Tracking Software to Overcome Data Challenges

Data silos, lack of standardization and transparency, quality and accuracy issues, trust and validation problems, and inability to operationalize data are significant obstacles that prevent recycling programs from capitalizing on the circular economy. These challenges also restrict industry participants, negatively impacting their efficiency, transparency, and profitability.

At Diversys , we provide industry participants with a quick-to-implement, easy-to-use cloud-based software platform to digitally transform recycling operations. Diversys equips organizations with the ability to track, manage, and report on their waste collection and recycling activities in real-time, enabling them to achieve reporting and compliance requirements for ESG (Environmental Social Governance) and EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) targets. Diversys also streamlines auditing capabilities through a single, easy-to-use platform that can be quickly implemented.

Overcoming data issues in the recycling industry is essential for demonstrating and improving environmental impact from various programs across waste streams and jurisdictions. Using commercial recycling tracking software, recycling operations optimize program performance and outcomes, improve business processes, and enhance program reporting and auditing capabilities.

Packaging EPR in Canada: Why Digitalization is Key for Success

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 18:49:59 GMT

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) shifts the burden for managing waste from municipalities and taxpayers to producers. EPR aims to reduce waste generation, increase recycling rates, and promote circular economy principles. Packaging has been a priority for EPR programs across Canada, as it accounts for a significant portion of municipal solid waste and has profound environmental impacts throughout its life cycle.

However, the current recycling system faces many challenges, such as low collection rates, high contamination levels, a lack of markets for recycled materials, and inconsistent reporting standards. To overcome these challenges and achieve the goals of EPR, the recycling system needs to digitalize and adopt innovative solutions that can enhance its efficiency, transparency, and accountability.

Digital solutions for recycling programs often range from hardware and operational technology to information systems and software. When meeting these new regulatory requirements, quality data capture and recycling software are core components of tracking to monitor waste flows, measuring performance, generating reports, and facilitating collaboration among stakeholders. A robust recycling software solution offers multiple benefits for recycling EPR and can benefit the different actors involved in the recycling system.

Digitalization to Meet Packaging EPR Requirements

One of the main challenges of meeting packaging EPR is the need for harmonization and consistency among different jurisdictions and stakeholders. Each province has regulations, targets, definitions, and reporting standards for packaging waste management. This creates confusion, complexity, and inefficiency for producers who operate across multiple regions and must comply with different requirements. The problem is exacerbated by the state of the current recycling system, which relies on outdated methods of data collection and reporting that often need to be more accurate, complete, and reliable.

To address these challenges and achieve the goals of packaging EPR, digitalization is essential. Digitalization uses digital technologies and software to transform processes, activities, and outcomes. In recycling EPR, digitalization can enable consistent data capture, and a cloud-based recycling software platform can offer multiple benefits for the various participants in the recycling system.

Consistent data capture means using standardized methods and tools to collect accurate and reliable information on waste flows throughout the recycling value chain. Consistent data capture can provide real-time visibility into where packaging materials are going, how much is being recycled or disposed of, and the environmental impacts associated with each stage.

Cloud-based recycling software can store, process, analyze, and share data among different recycling program stakeholders, including producers, collectors, haulers, processors, Stewards, PROs and even governments. This can include using dashboards, reports, charts, maps, or other features to visualize and communicate data on packaging waste management. Digitalization and software solutions can also help measure performance and produce reports by automating data aggregation and verification processes.

Digitalization is going to be essential for meeting packaging EPR requirements globally. Enabling consistent data capture and a cloud-based recycling software platform can also track waste generation, recycling rates, and leverage data to promote circular economy principles for packaging materials. The software can help each stakeholder and participant in the value chain experience achieve their respective EPR obligations.

The different benefits of going digital for recycling participants

Tracking for producers (e.g., brand owners, first importers or manufacturers):

Comply with EPR regulations by providing accurate data on their packaging materials, quantities, and destinations.
Identify opportunities to reduce costs such as optimizing packaging design, minimizing waste generation, and access incentives based on their environmental performance.
Enhance their reputation by demonstrating sustainability efforts, engaging with consumers through digital channels, and participating in circular economy initiatives.

Modernizing recycling operations for collectors (e.g., municipalities or private operators), transporters (e.g., haulers or brokers), and processors (e.g., recyclers or end-markets):

Improve their operations by increasing collection rates, reducing contamination levels, and maximizing resource recovery.
Increase their revenues by accessing reliable markets for recycled materials, leveraging data analytics to optimize their pricing strategies, and creating value-added products from waste streams.
Strengthen their relationships by collaborating with other stakeholders, sharing best practices, and resolving disputes through transparent mechanisms.

Digitalization for recycling program managers (Stewards, Producer Responsibility Organizations)

Streamlines IPR compliance, automating data collection, reporting, auditing, claims, and payments.
Optimizes recycling operations, providing real-time visibility into inventory, material flows, logistics, quality control, and profitability.
Contributes to the circular economy by increasing recovery rates of valuable materials, reducing environmental impacts, and facilitating stakeholder collaboration.

Accurate recycling data for governments (e.g., federal or provincial regulators):

Enforce EPR regulations by monitoring compliance, verifying data quality, and imposing sanctions or rewards based on performance outcomes.
Evaluate EPR programs by measuring progress, assessing impacts, and identifying gaps or opportunities for improvement.
Support EPR policies by providing guidance, funding, and incentives for innovation and stakeholder engagement.

Check out this article on recycling rate tracking in Virginia and the vital role of recycling software.

Digitalization is not a silver bullet for solving all the problems of the recycling system. It requires investment in infrastructure, capacity building and stakeholder collaboration. However, digitalization is necessary for making the recycling system more effective, responsive and resilient in the face of changing regulations, volatile market conditions, and evolving consumer expectations. By embracing digital solutions, every participant in the recycling value chain can more easily participate in packaging EPR programs and contribute to the circular economy.

Digitalizing Recycling Programs with Diversys

Diversys is a cloud-based recycling software platform that enables waste and recycling stakeholders to streamline their operations, improve data accuracy, and achieve their environmental goals. The software pairs a mobile app for in-field reporting with a single web portal for program tracking and management.

Diversys Recycling software lets recycling value chain participants go digital and operationalize their programs with minimal disruption. They can eliminate paper-based processes prone to errors, delays, and fraud. They can also access reliable data supporting their environmental reporting requirements for extended producer responsibility (EPR) and ecological and social governance (ESG). Diversys Recycling software is a flexible solution that can handle any waste stream and is designed to accommodate complex programs.

Contact our team to find out if the Diversys platform is right for you, or click here to learn how Diversys helps organizations go digital .

Recycling Rate Tracking is Changing – Digitalizing Recycling Operations in the State of Virginia

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 21:07:35 GMT

A recent report out of the State of Virginia has recommended improving data capture from waste and recycling activities in the region.

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) commissioned this report in response to a legislative mandate to study the state's recycling system and identify opportunities for improvement. As a result, Virginia’s Waste Diversion & Recycling Task Force was formed to carry out the study.

The goals were to:

Assess the current status and challenges of recycling in Virginia;
Evaluate best practices from other states and countries;
Propose strategies to increase waste diversion and recycling rates;
Identify opportunities to advance economic development and environmental protection.

A key takeaway from the report was the need for enhanced tracking and accurate data capture from recycling operations to measure program effectiveness. To address these recommendations, industry participants must digitalize processes with technology and software. Digitalization of recycling operations not only supports these initiatives and mandates; it allows businesses to streamline recycling programs, reduce costs, save time, and improve efficiency.

The Potential Implications on Recycling Rate Tracking in Virginia

According to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Virginia's calculated recycling rate for 2021 was 43.3 percent . This rate was derived from recycling data submitted by 17 Solid Waste Planning Units (SWPUs) with populations over 100,000 that report annually. However, this rate may not accurately reflect recycling performance in Virginia. It includes credits for solid waste reused, non-municipal solid waste recycled, recycling residues, and source reduction programs. There may also be variances in the data collection and reporting methods used by different SWPUs.

Adopting a more standardized and transparent approach to data capture is essential to address these challenges and improve tracking in the State of Virginia and beyond. Digitalization of recycling operations can help organizations measure and monitor their waste generation and diversion rates accurately and efficiently. It can also help optimize waste management processes, reduce costs, and enhance customer service.

The Current State of Digitalization in Recycling

Many recycling operations still rely on manual and disconnected systems that limit their efficiency and tracking capabilities. Just as Virginia has released recommendations on improving recycling tracking, the broader industry is embracing technology in the shift towards circular economies and better environmental practices.

By digitalizing processes with software, recyclers can connect different stages of the recycling value chain, from collection to sorting, to processing. This enables them to track the quantity and quality of materials, optimize their performance and profitability, and demonstrate their environmental impact. Organizations can also leverage commercial waste recycling software to adapt to changing market conditions.

Unlike other industries that had to pioneer digital solutions from scratch, the recycling industry can benefit from existing best practices that have been proven in other sectors.

Digitalization is necessary to create new business opportunities and drive competitiveness in an evolving, high-value industry. In fact, the global circular economy has been estimated to grow to 4.5 trillion dollars by 2030 .

The Importance of Digitalizing Recycling Operations

Digitalizing recycling operations means utilizing technology and data to make the industry smarter, more efficient, more responsive, and ultimately more sustainable. Some examples of digital technologies that can be applied to recycling operations include:

Switch to E-manifests from paper and other forms of manual record-keeping to reduce errors and enable real-time waste shipment tracking.
Leverage mobile and web applications to collect accurate information about recyclable materials' type, quantity, quality, and origin.
Utilize dashboards to integrate data from multiple sources and waste streams for auditing and reporting on performance with key metrics such as diversion rates, greenhouse gas emissions, and cost savings or revenue.
Adopt cloud-based platforms for real-time visibility, helping recyclers collaborate with stakeholders across the value chain, such as generators, haulers, processors, end-users, regulators, and even consumers.
Deploy analytics, reporting, and measurement tools to create a single source of truth for monitoring the efficacy of recycling programs.

Recyclers need to identify opportunities for improvement, optimize processes, increase revenues, and demonstrate impact. By digitalizing recycling operations, organizations can gain a competitive edge in the market, enhance their reputation among stakeholders, and maximize resource recovery.

The Business Case for Digitalizing Recycling and Waste Diversion

Digitalizing recycling and waste diversion with software can help organizations achieve multiple benefits beyond environmental protection and regulatory compliance. The value of leveraging technology and data has been well documented, and the recycling industry is undergoing a technological renaissance for operational value add. Key business opportunities include:

Cost savings

Digitalizing manual and paper-based waste management processes could significantly improve operational efficiency throughout the value chain. This could translate into significant savings for organizations that generate large volumes of waste or manage multiple sites across the state.

Revenue generation

Accurate data on waste materials means organizations can predict and identify new opportunities for selling recyclable materials. This could create new revenue streams while reducing landfill fees or disposal costs.

Environmental protection

By digitally monitoring diversion rates from recycling operations, organizations can track environmental impact, analyze recycling rates, and measure greenhouse gas reductions associated with landfilling or incinerating waste materials.

Improved data quality and accuracy

Digital technologies can minimize and even eliminate human errors and biases in data collection, ensuring consistency and comparability across different materials, locations, and time periods for accurate reporting and auditing.

Enhanced regulatory compliance

Regarding waste reporting and disposal with verifiable evidence of waste recycling activities. Digital tools can also help prepare for potential regulation changes, such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs requiring producers to manage their products at end-of-life.

Embracing technology and software means organizations (not just in Virginia) can operationalize their recycling programs, improve recycling rate tracking, and eliminate costly manual and redundant tasks.

Diversys Recycling Software is Built for the Circular Economy

Diversys is a cloud-based recycling software solution that helps organizations improve their recycling programs, achieve environmental goals, and join the circular economy. Operators can easily manage transactions and claims from a single platform. Likewise, transporters and haulers can log transactions in 4 quick steps through our fully responsive mobile app.

Diversys customers have leveraged our complete recyclable tracking software solution to:

Reduce errors and variances in data by minimizing and, in most cases eliminating error-prone manual processes such as reconciling paper records or manually inputting manifests and bills of lading.
Prevent fraud using geographic data, ensuring collections happened in the correct jurisdictions.
Save time and money by replacing costly manual and paper data capture processes with in-field data capture that improves the accuracy and reliability of data.
Improve efficiency with applications without software experience so that operators, administrators, and in-field users can hit the ground running.
Operationalize recycling programs with data to unlock critical business insights while streamlining compliance and reporting to take a data-driven approach to recycling program management.
Leverage real-time, accurate data directly in their web browser so that they can immediately remediate issues or monitor activity through the cloud-based platform.
Quickly adapt and evolve to address changing reporting requirements and scale operations more effectively with complete data oversight.

Digitalization of recycling can help industry participants improve operations, source recycled materials more efficiently and reliably, and prove environmental impact and social responsibility through accurate data capture. Our platform is designed to help public and private sector organizations digitally transform to measure and demonstrate their sustainability initiatives impact accurately.

Learn more about Diversys and how we help improve recycling operations and competitiveness while contributing to a more sustainable future for everyone.

Changing the Recycling Landscape with a Focus on Data

To meet state recycling tracking requirements (such as in the State of Virginia), a standardized and transparent approach to data collection and analysis is necessary to ensure consistent and comparable data capture across different jurisdictions. Digitalization will lead to accurate tracking of recycling programs while helping businesses comply with statewide initiatives. Digitalization can also help organizations reap the economic rewards of the growing circular economy, which aims to eliminate waste and keep resources in use for as long as possible.

How data-driven is your company? And why does it even matter?

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 17:41:23 GMT

Data should be the driving force of your organization, enabling you to optimize and manage your recycling, waste management or sustainability programs, efficiently, effectively and accurately, all in real time.

However, the degree to which this is possible depends on whether your company is data-driven, and if so, to what stage of data maturity.

Regardless how you may be managing your current recycling, waste management or recycling programs, you are collecting, processing and leverage data in your organization in some shape or form today.

It is important to assess your organization's relationship with data, as that's the first step in evaluating how to better leverage data--and not only any data but data that is of top quality, available in real-time and is 100% accurate--in order to elevate the progress and results you're achieving today.

Read on to understand various data strategies and how they might apply to your organization.

Data Strategies

We have adapted Christopher Penn’s framework on the evolution of a data-driven company(1), applying it to the world of recycling and waste management. According to this methodology, there are five categories that an organization might find themselves in when it comes to how they value and use their data.

1. Data-Resistant

“We’ve always done it this way.”

“Change comes with headaches.”

“It’s working so far, isn’t it?”

Statements ike the ones to the left are hallmarks of data-resistant organizations, demonstrating an unwillingness to change or a complacence with the status quo. Data-resistant organizations are those that fail to see the value in having high-quality data or fail to see the connection between issues with their data and the daily pain-points with which they struggle.

Organizations typically begin as data-resistant for a variety of reasons, including the fear that:

Data might uncover hidden performance issues, such as not actually hitting collected volume or weight targets
Data might show the organization has a misaligned strategy(2), such as when performance is flagging in one area (E.g. a collection site convenience criteria) but resources are being poured into another

Rather than uncover these issues, these organizations feel that sticking with the status quo is safer and smarter.

But inevitably, the status quo reaches its limit, and it costs the organization in opportunities lost and revenue leakage from inefficient processes. This limitation is usually exposed when an individual at an organization needs to solve a specific performance issue, such as figuring out why landfill diversion or GHG reduction targets are not being met. They begin to harness data without waiting for an organizational mandate.

The actions of this one individual can spur change for the entire organization – either others will be inspired by what data can do, or the individual will need the support of a larger data framework, necessitating an organizational mandate for better data. Until that happens, the organization will likely remain data-resistant – and suffer the consequences of poor quality or unharnessed data.

Ask Yourself

How often does your organization tend to stick with the status quo?
How well do your departments integrate and communicate? Do you tend to work in siloes?
How much have your processes changed in the last 10 years?
Do you use paper forms to track your recycling or waste activities?
Do you know where you are against your performance targets and goals right now?
Is there room for human error and/or security breaches in your processes?

2. Data-Curious

"Data-curious organizations are not yet reaping the benefits of their data collection; the analysis that helps to develop strategy is not yet being leveraged."

Unlike data-resistant organizations, data-curious ones are aware that they have data and know that that data is valuable – but they remain unaware how to unlock that value. Usually, these organizations will only discover this value inadvertently, not through planning or prescription, and begin to collect it. This collection might happen through web or social media analytics, or other tools the organization might be using (EPR, CRM, financial/accounting tools).

Data-curious organizations are not yet reaping the benefits of their data collection; the analysis that helps to develop strategy is not yet being leveraged. In the waste and recycling industry, this might look like an organization that employs some sort of accounting software and maybe an inventory tool. They understand that these tools are keeping track of something that relates to their goals, but they are only using them to perform very specific, everyday tasks. Deeper insights are not yet being leveraged, and questions are not yet being answered. As with the data-resistant maturity level, the costs are lost opportunities and resource loss from inefficiency.

Ask Yourself

How are you currently collecting your data? Is any part of the collection process digitized?
What tools are you employing to help you manage your recycling or waste program?
What insights are you gaining from each tool? Are you able to quickly glean insights through data visualization tools (such as a graph that easily shows progress towards a goal)?
If your tools are giving you insights, do these insights help you on the everyday, operational level, or on the long-term, strategic level?

3. Data-aware

"Because there is value being gained here, many organizations stay data-aware for years."

At the next level, data curiosity gives way to data awareness: the value of data is starting to be extracted. Data-aware organizations focus on analysis, asking retrospective questions, such as:

What happened last quarter?
What percentage of landfill diversion did we achieve last year?
What was last month’s tonnage pick-up goal, and did we achieve it?

These questions result in practical value and tactical decision-making; organizations can make determinations about what they want to continue or stop doing in order to improve performance areas.

Because there is value being gained here, many organizations stay data-aware for years. They can satisfy stakeholders that they are improving operations without rocking the boat. But the downside of this strategy is that it tends to come with another cost: data-aware organizations invest in tools to better glean insight from their data. These could be data storage and warehousing, analysis, or cloud tools. When the cost from all these tools because prohibitive, organizations might begin to wonder what they’re spending resources on, prompting them towards the next data maturity level.

Ask Yourself

How often do you have meetings where data is discussed?
How actively does your organization try to figure out how best to improve the quality of your data?
Is your organization invested in any tools to help analyze your data?
What insights are these tools revealing to you? How are they helping your long-term strategy?

4. Data-Savvy

Data-savvy organizations leverage data to answer “Why” questions.

Whereas data-aware organizations tend to ask “What” questions, data-savvy organizations leverage data to answer “Why” questions.

Why did participant X’s performance dip last month?
Why were we able to meet our landfill diversion goals?
Why are we recycling more of Y and not Z?

For these organizations, they see the value of data beyond the tactical; they are starting to become strategic. Rather than merely describing what happened, they can provide the insight needed to explain why it did. This takes time and introspective investigation, necessitating organizations to stay at this level for some time. Once they are ready to turn these insights into actionable items, they are achieving a data-driven level of maturity.

Ask Yourself

What questions are being asked at your organization - retrospective questions that ask what happened? Or introspective questions that help you understand why those things happened?
Do you know both how your program is performing right now – and why it is performing to that level?
Do you use a dedicated program- or data-management tool that was purpose-built for the waste and recycling industry?

5. Data-driven

In a data-driven organization, data is captured at every level and utilized to improve

all processes.

Now that organizations can describe the “what” and explain the “why,” they need to answer the next question: “What are you going to do about it? What’s next?” Data-driven organizations have in place the strategies to easily retrieve and harness their data; they are not spending endless hours and resources trying to make meaning of this information. They may say things like:

Our manifest data shows certain geographies are not being reached; we will increase pick-ups in those locations by 40% next quarter
This report on our performance is ready for auditing, and our auditing time is down to less than a quarter of what it previously was
We know why our volume of materials collected is not commiserate with our volume of materials recycled, and we have a plan in place to fix this issue

In a data-driven organization, data is captured at every level and utilized to improve all processes. Every strategic decision is powered by high-quality, reliable data, and this is evident in meetings, governance structures, and performance metrics.

Ask Yourself

How is your organization capturing data?
What is happening with that data? Are you easily able to glean insights from your data so you can make strategic plans for the future of your organization?
Does it take hours or longer to parse and make meaning of the data you have?
Do you use a dedicated program- or data-management tool that visualizes your data so you can easily track performance?

Conclusions

As the landscape of recycling and waste management continues to evolve, it's no longer feasible to rely on data strategies that could potentially hold back your programs or even your business. The tools are available to assess your current state and evolve it quickly so that you are capturing vast amounts of data in seconds, accessing it in real time to make the decisions that matter when they matter, and able to instantly see your progress and results, anytime.

A lack of progression towards becoming more data mature—and continuing to rely on data that is not relevant, not irrefutably accurate, incomplete, or simply unavailable—is very costly and very real for all organizations.

1. https://www.christopherspenn.com/2019/08/the-evolution-of-the-data-driven-company/#:~:text=The%20evolution%20of%20a%20company,cannot%20become%20truly%20data%2Ddriven.%20February%2025,%202022,%207:06%20AM

2. Ibid.

What is "good data," and how does it gets compromised?

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 17:28:24 GMT

Learn about the factors that affect data quality, with concrete examples of compromised data so you can assess how your organization is doing

It is estimated that the cost of bad data is an astonishing 15% to 25% of revenue for most companies.(1)

In terms of monetary value, a study by Gartner finds that most organizations surveyed estimate that they lose $14.2 million annually from poor data.(2)

In order to qualify these figures for your own organization, it is important to understand what data quality is and where organizations typically lose it.

Data Quality

Data quality can be assessed on the basis of three key factors: relevance, accuracy, and consistency.

Relevance is the extent to which data is useful for a given task or purpose. For instance, most waste or recycling organizations need to report on specific information to legislators, stakeholders, or the public – such as tonnage diverted from landfills, GHG emission reduction, or volume of derived products after processing.

Ask Yourself

Are the measurements used by your organizations to track this information truly relevant?
Are you tracking the right metrics to be able to report on your crucial information correctly?

Accuracy is the degree to which information contained within data matches what was originally intended. This is one standard many in the industry struggle to meet, because of a heavy reliance on error-prone paper-based processes.

Ask Yourself

Is your organization relying on paper forms?
Since paper forms provides zero safeguards to protect against errors and fraud, can you be sure about the accuracy of the data that is being collected, written and transcribed?
Do you know how often inaccuracies seep through your program?

Consistency is the extent to which data from different sources agrees with one another. Another aspect of consistency is timing: understanding whether you are accessing, reviewing, and using the latest available data, or if that data is outdated.

Ask Yourself

How do you know if the numbers you’re looking at in the office are the same ones coming in from the field? (Hint: if you use paper forms and an individual manually enters information from these forms into a software tool like MS-Excel, your data consistency is already at risk.)
Is the information or data you’re looking at provided to you in real time? Or are you getting paper forms in the mail weeks after drop-offs and pick-ups have taken place?
Are there even more delays as you reconcile the numbers and all those reams of paper?

HOW DATA QUALITY IS COMPROMISED

Here is a common example of what low-quality data—data that lacks relevance, accuracy, and consistency—results in:

If an organization is trying to study their program’s performance over time and their data has errors that lead to exaggerated recovery numbers in one month and understated figures in another, they cannot use this information reliably in an analysis of performance trends. It becomes utterly useless for making meaningful decisions or even determining how well their program is performing or how the organization is progressing towards its goals.

Additionally, much time is wasted trying to impose relevance, accuracy, and consistency when these key factors are not already built into an organization’s processes. For organizations in this position, someone must manually look for spots where there could be room for errors, fraud, or security breaches, and then figure out how to solve those issues each time.

Manually checking for errors and inconsistencies and identifying how to solve issues requires extra steps and work. These are instances where the organization is only losing resources to correct errors – not earning revenue, and certainly not managing a budget well.

The example above commonly occurs in the waste and recycling industry. If participants (e.g., haulers, collectors, generators, etc.) make mistakes in their work (for instance, by failing to fill out a paper form completely), it can easily take hours to identify and rectify the errors.

While the issue may sound minor in one example, the effect is cumulative. For most waste or recycling organizations, there is no way to tell how often this is happening and how many other areas of the program are suffering from similar issues. This results not only in poor data, but also heavy associated costs of that poor data: six years ago, IBM calculated the cost of poor data as $3 trillion in the US alone.(3) That number has only grown since.

For specific waste and recycling organizations, this can also lead to a range of problems, the most basic of which is an inaccurate view of their program and their progress towards recovery or other goals. Poor data can further cost in poor decisions, poor communication with the stakeholders or the public, incorrect insights, and missed opportunities.

In the next blog, we explore the different ways organizations leverage data (or resist it) and to what effect. As you read through each data strategy, use this framework to evaluate your own organization so you can uncover the strategy you are currently employing with your data.

Stay tuned!

1. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/seizing-opportunity-in-data-quality/

2. https://www.data-axle.com/resources/blog/the-true-cost-of-bad-data/

3. https://hbr.org/2016/09/bad-data-costs-the-u-s-3-trillion-per-year

The End of Poor Data: Why Waste and Recycling Needs Better Data Now

Wed, 10 Aug 2022 12:24:29 GMT

The waste and recycling industry has a major problem with poor data. Yet everyday, the need for better data increases. What's driving this need?

Poor data is costing organizations in the waste and recycling industry – both in the short- and long-term, loss in both revenue and opportunity. It is the reason organizations are failing to meet their goals, effective strategies cannot be developed, and ESG initiatives stall before they can start.

The tools that the industry most often use to deal with data tend to result in more confusion, not less, as they neither integrate with each other nor provide the insightful, easy-to-understand analysis necessary to be helpful.

Unless you are using a data management tool that was purpose-built for waste and recycling programs, it is highly likely that poor data is costing you and your organization right now.

Understanding the problem

Do these paper forms look familiar to you?

This is how many organizations in the industry run their programs. It seems simple: Once a participant (e.g., a hauler, collector, generator, etc.) completes their step in the recycling process, they fill out a form like this to record their work. These forms are then mailed or faxed into the managing organization, who manually enter the information into a data management tool (like Microsoft Excel or Access).

This type of data capture is slow, manual, error-prone, not real-time, and not centralized. It is also susceptible to fraud and security breaches. The results are unsurprising: data entry errors, missing or illegible forms, delays, and time wasted trying to manually extract performance analysis from the data. At the end of the day, the data that organizations garner from this method is not reliable for decision-making, performance tracking, or reporting.

Some organizations opt instead for building custom software, either by commissioning a software solution through a custom software developer or working with their IT department to develop the solution in-house. The appeal of this option is: if the software is built specifically for your organization, how could it fail to do what you need it to? But these solutions are both expensive and inflexible; and as reporting and other requirements change, the software cannot adapt quickly enough.

For instance, many organizations have always had to report on how much material (by weight or volume) they have diverted from landfill. But for many, it has become mandatory to also report on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction they are achieving. It is not easy, fast, or inexpensive for organizations with existing, custom-built software to add a feature to their solution to track this.

With such heavy reliance on paper forms, error-prone processes, and inflexible solutions, how are we ever to get to a circular economy – let alone meet performance goals, hit GHG reduction targets, or start effective ESG initiatives?

A Growing Impetus for Change

Fortunately, the lifecycle for such a paper-reliant and other antiquated systems is limited, and it is reaching its end.

Changes are coming that are demanding more clarity and visibility from the industry, necessitating adaptive processes that both promote and take advantage of better data. There are three rapidly changing areas that are prompting the industry towards a better data trend. These are: extended producer responsibility (EPR) and legislative changes, human resources changes, and technology changes. In the next sections, we will explore each of these in detail.

Legislative Changes

While EPR legislation is swiftly being adopted all over the world, there are many waste and recycling organizations in industries that remain unregulated.

Despite this, all organizations are striving to achieve circular economy goals for the materials with which they work. Legislation, inadvertently and eventually, affects us all.

Canada, for example, already has EPR systems in place for certain products such as batteries, electronics, beverage containers, paint, and recently, paper and packaging.

The European Union, as another example, is the most advanced in EPR implementation and has legislation in place for packaging and goods such as electronics, batteries, and cars. In recent years, the EU has pushed for eco-modulation to tie manufacturer costs for EPR programs to recyclability or the recycled content in packaging; the aim is to achieve the EU’s goal of making 70% of packaging recyclable by 2030. In the United States, there are many upcoming bills, again mostly focused on packaging, with some advancement also in carpet, textiles, and mattresses.(1)

Yet, we live in a global economy. Many in the industry are required to prepare for a variety of compliance reporting and related data requirements, because they work across jurisdictional boundaries (or in multiple jurisdictions). They must be aware of, prepare for, and respond to the diversity in these regulations. Additionally, fraud continues to be an issue. For instance, new plastic recycling targets, while helping to drive a lucrative, $50 billion market for used plastic, have also spurred unscrupulous operators to cash in on an industry that is difficult to police.(2) Fraud is a particular area where lack of high-quality data is already costing those in the industry.

To overcome both of these challenges – the requirement to report in a variety of ways and fraud prevention – the industry needs significant improvements in data reliability.

“Many recycling targets were impossible to verify given the poor visibility into whether waste was in fact recycled.”

– Interpol 2020 report(3)

Human Resource Changes

In addition to legislative changes, the requirement for better data is being spurred by new human resource trends. Two of these changes are particularly key: data as a central tenet of your organization, and relatedly, employee retention.

You may be familiar with the people-process-technology framework for understanding how effective organizations operate at the intersection of all three. However, this framework has undergone seismic transformation with the introduction of data.

Data literacy is now at the intersection of all components of people-processes-technology, fundamentally changing the manner in which we work. Data literacy is defined as the ability to read, write, and communicate data in context and leveraging that data towards achieving business outcomes. At the intersection of both people and technology is a massive demand for jobs in data science or analytics. This field, which was once relegated just to the world of IT, has grown considerably, as industries increasingly see the value in data and data literacy.

Despite this growing demand for data-related jobs, the COVID-related trend of unprecedented employee turnover continues. With factors such as the move to working from home, life re-evaluation, early retirement, government incentives, and employee treatment during the pandemic, it is evident that the workforce has irrevocably changed. A particularly striking statistic that resulted from this trend is: the average cost of employee turnover is 1.5-2 times their salary(4)- and is especially impactful in smaller companies with “departments of one.” As a result of this trend of high turnover, relying on employee institutional knowledge and manual processes will become extremely problematic - especially for smaller organizations where the impact of turnover can be much is bigger than 1.5 times a single salary. In fact, the over-reliance on manual processes is costing us significantly already.

Data literacy is becoming increasingly important; effective organizations are only going to need more data literacy amongst staff to operate well. As well, digitizing is crucial to achieving higher quality data and futureproofing against coming HR trends that could cost waste and recycling organizations, many of which are already chronically underfunded.

Technology Changes

In addition to legislation changes and HR trends, there are significant technological changes that are driving the need for better data – and that are exposing the way current data frameworks are costing us significantly. These changes include increased investment in technology, digital transformation, and the growing exposure about the limitations posed by digital resistance.

A recent Gartner survey found that investors are planning to increase investment in several technology areas, the top five of which will have a particularly strong impact on the waste and recycling industry: cyber/information security, business intelligence/data analytics, could services/solutions, process automation, and customer/user experience. (5)

The middle three of these top five investment areas all directly impact a waste or recycling organization’s people-processes-technology when delivering on EPR, legislative, or circular economy obligations, while the first and last point indirectly impact the same.

Business intelligence – data, data management, and data literacy are becoming increasingly important to investors, who understand the direct impact these have on the success of organizations and whole industries.
Cloud services – Investors understand that cloud services are the wave of the future, providing ease of access to data and unleashing previously-inhibited organizational growth. This means digitized, rather than paper-based, processes are increasingly becoming the standard.
Process automation – As with the previous point, cumbersome, error-prone manual processes that cannot scale are on the way out; digitized processes are becoming the norm.

During COVID, digital and cloud transformation accelerated, impacting people-processes-technology more than ever. Digitizing is in no way limited to technology companies; it has become the standard and the norm across industries and geographies, in the private and public sector.

The ubiquity of digitization has only exposed those who are lagging behind as “digitally resistant.” The perceived costs or inconvenience of digitizing manual processes are no longer considered valid excuses to continuing resisting the digital. In fact, resistance to the digital directly translates into resistance to data. In the next section, we delve into the direct cost of poor data, how to understand data quality, and how it is typically lost in the waste and recycling management industry. Then, we explore the different ways organizations leverage data (or resist it) and to what effect.

Ask Yourself

Do you know of EPR or legislative changes that are coming your way? How will these impact your organization, your day-to-day work, and your long-term strategy?
How much does your organization rely on employees’ institutional knowledge? Are there processes in place to quickly onboard new employees if turnover becomes an issue?
How would you rate the data literacy of your organization? Is it limited to one or two individuals, or is your entire team data literate?
Does your data drive your business or operational decisions right now?
Does your organization explore technological trends?
Are your recycling and waste management processes digitized? Or are you overly reliant on paper forms or outdated software?

Next Steps...

Enjoying this blog? Keep reading each week for more information on poor data in the industry and how your organization can benefit from a mature data strategy (and how to get one)!

1. https://www.rila.org/blog/2021/04/extended-producer-responsibility-bills

2. https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/criminal-recycling-scams-profit-from-plastic-waste-surge-1.5081918

3. https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/consumer/criminal-recycling-scams-profit-from-plastic-waste-surge

4. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20130816200159-131079-employee-retention-now-a-big-issue-why-the-tide-has-turned

5. Source: Gartner

ANSWERED: 10 Crucial Waste and Recycling Questions

Wed, 18 May 2022 13:00:12 GMT

We get asked a lot of questions about trends in the industry, common issues program managers face every day, and what it would take to get to a solution. It's time for some answers.

We sat down with our CEO, Roger Barlow, and posed these questions to him. Read on for an illuminating Q&A where he discusses the issues the industry is facing today and how to get ahead.

Q1: What issues and challenges do today’s recycling and waste management organizations face?

Today’s organizations are busier than ever, and at their core, they need to be able to run their programs and operations quickly, easily, and effectively.

They also need to:

have visibility on every aspect of their process so they can track and measure their material flows
know how they stand against their performance goals and recovery targets at any point in time
be able to generate audit-ready proof of all of this

Regardless of how they’re managing these requirements today, most are struggling in at least some of these areas – and some are being challenged across the board.

However, most organizations simply don’t know that there are better ways to manage their operations, ones that will improve productivity in their programs, maximize revenue, cut costs, and save time, while ensuring high-quality data if they need to build reports. They just aren’t aware of what’s possible.

Q2: How are the recycling and waste management organizations managing—or attempting to manage—their programs and operations today? Are there concerns with how they are doing it?

Many organizations are using their own custom-built software or are relying on outdated paper processes to run their programs, and as a result, they are struggling to maximize productivity and revenue.

They’re also struggling to have visibility and track their performance against their goals.

For example, if a recycling organization knows they have to collect, haul, and process a certain tonnage of recyclables by the end of the year, they need to know continually throughout the year where they are against that goal.

Manually analyzing the data to calculate performance is error-prone and time-consuming – which is especially concerning when you have a deadline approaching.

After all, it doesn’t help much to know how you’re performing against your goal or recovery target in November if you need to meet it in December. Organizations need to know the health of their programs at any time of year, so they can course-correct as they go.

These are real, practical problems that are making the lives of those in the waste and recycling management industries harder, while also negatively impacting legislation. (Read more about this impact in Q6)

Q3: So, given all of this, how are recycling and waste management organizations seeking to be and to do better?

Well, that’s just the thing. They are all making do, and quite frankly, they’re doing the best that they can. Again, many just aren’t aware of what is possible today.

And at Diversys, that’s our goal: to redefine what is actually possible in this industry.

This is actually very exciting, because now it is possible to run programs and operations like never before.

We give our users the ability to:

Go paper-free , so they can use e-manifests to eliminate errors, unnecessary costs & slow processes
Get full visibility and rely on real-time accurate data, fully traceable to each transaction, so they can meet their ESG, EPR, or GHG reduction goals
See live results, so they can monitor performance in real time with live dashboards and reports

We’re constantly adding new features and functionalities to the platform so users can gain even more visibility, save time through automatic analysis and error/fraud-elimination, and have complete confidence in their program.

Q4: Having complete confidence in your program sounds like a tall order! What are some "best-in-class" ways to manage programs to get to that complete confidence?

Getting to that best-in-class solution starts with assessing your confidence in your current program. So, you can start by asking:

Do you have confidence in your ability to track the flow of your materials easily and in real time?
Are you meeting your goals? Are you reaching your landfill diversion or GHG reduction targets?
Is your business’ long-term ESG strategy on track ?
Are all your in-field activities visible to you right away ?
Can you easily manage your relationships with your participants (like haulers, processors, drivers, etc.)?
Can you fully trust your data and rely on it to make major decisions for your business?
Are you sure you’ll meet your performance or recovery targets for this month, quarter, or year?

A best-in-class solution would let you answer confidently to all of the above.

Imagine having that confidence because you have access to all the information you need, any time. At Diversys, that’s what gets us excited, because that is possible today. It may sound simple, but it’s remarkably powerful – and it gets to the heart of what this industry really needs.

Q5: How does it do that? What are the core elements that the industry really needs to redefine what’s possible?

Very simply, the industry needs four key things:

1. All recycling and waste activities need to be digitally tracked

2. All aspects of managing the program need to be easy to perform on a single platform

3. Reporting should be quick to produce and easy to access, and irrefutably accurate

4. Every step of the program should be underpinned by high-quality, accurate data that is available anytime, anywhere

And while data is really key here, it’s one of the things that’s been a challenge in this industry for a long time.

Q6: The need for better data is something you understand well. Why does the industry need better data? What’s wrong with the data we have now?

Very simply: unreliable data coming in from “the field” (meaning, the people doing the actual work of collecting and processing recyclables and waste) means organizations are reporting on their activities unreliably, means legislation is built around faulty data, means we don’t know what this industry is truly capable of or how well we’re actually moving towards a circular economy.

On the other hand, solid, reliable data increases the capabilities of the industry, ultimately (and demonstrably) leading to a waste-free world. Today’s leading-edge tools have built-in safeguards to ensure that data is accurate from the time it’s collected to the time it’s used. More organizations need to take advantage of this.

Q7: What makes data from in “the field” unreliable?

Most waste or recycling management organizations use paper forms to track the activities happening in the field - like picking up materials from a collection point and dropping them off to another site. The information from these forms is manually entered into a data management tool (like Excel) or a software tool that was custom-built for that organization.

There are dozens of problems that come from managing a program this way:

Illegible or lost forms
Delays
Lack of safeguards against error and fraud, resulting in...
Information that is not reliable, irrefutably accurate, or traceable.

For organizations that need to report in detail on their activities and prove that they’ve accomplished as much as their claiming, this can be a real challenge.

And this faulty system makes the day-to-day work of the recycling or waste management organization unnecessarily complicated: whether it’s reporting, KPI tracking, or payments, everything relies on that information being 100% accurate.

Without that accuracy, there are serious consequences for productivity and the organization’s bottom line. That’s why many organizations struggle and waste time simply trying to verify data.

Q8: So, if data from in the field is unreliable, and even custom software solutions don’t necessarily give organizations all the tools they need to manage their programs well, what is the solution?

This is precisely why we built Diversys , a SaaS platform that organizations can start using right away to manage their programs with confidence. Rather than wasting time with paper forms or outdated software, Diversys’ uses a mobile app to track all the waste or recycling activities happening in a program.

This completely changes the game. Once a mobile app is in the users’ hands, this means:

Errors and fraud can be eliminated at the source, so you’re left with 100% reliable data
Security is no longer an issue
There are no more delays to you receiving information
Payments can be processed on time
If there are any issues, they can easily be traced back to the source and corrected

All the information from the mobile app feeds into the web portal – where users log in to manage their programs. In addition to a host of management tools (such as tools for managing invoicing, participants, and waste products), there is also the really cool stuff.

These are the things that get our customers excited, like:

Live data visualization

Users can create dashboards with widgets specific to their business requirements and get an instant picture (visualization) of how they're progressing towards their goals in real-time.

Our customers can also view and analyze anything from users and transactions to volume or weight of collected materials and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction. They can easily add or change widgets in their dashboards depending on their needs.

At the end of the day, it’s super easy to get a complete picture of how your program is performing holistically.

Super detailed, fine-grain visibility

Our platform gives users the ability to digitally track and measure everything —from specific diverted waste by unique material to the performance of specific haulers, processors, and other program participants—to set and track progress towards their targets.

This kind of visibility lets users trace issues and errors that are skewing their data – so they can correct them right at the source.

Using this type of visibility with their dashboards, our customers can get a historical or real-time image of every single thing happening in their program , both from a high-level performance view and a detailed view.

Real-time reports

Users can show results and progress towards goals with a few mouse-clicks : they can create reports using current (not outdated) data to track, measure and showcase their progress.

Report can be created on anything from inventory, transactions, volume of waste collected and diverted from landfill or greenhouse (GHG) emission reduction.

These are things organizations in the industry previously had no access to – so it’s an exciting time to be exploring what’s possible in the industry.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg – the Diversys platform has so many feature s that completely revolutionize our customers’ programs.

Q9: You say this platform is revolutionary, transformational, and redefines the world of the user. How is Diversys transforming the operations of those using the software?

Transformation happens through optimization. By managing every single step of their recycling or waste program through Diversys, our customers are optimizing every single thing they do. They are not wasting time double-checking their data; the software does that for them. They’re also never uncertain about how their programs are performing or if they’re maximizing productivity; they see that automatically, any time they log into Diversys. The platform does the heavy lifting, eliminating labour-intensive work for our customers.

This means our customers are no longer derailed by time-consuming tasks and minutia. Their work is transformed, because they suddenly have freedom to focus on what really matter for their businesses : making strong decisions based on reliable data, identifying and fixing problem areas in their processes that are blocking productivity, and providing reliable reporting that actually moves us all towards a circular economy.

Q10: How would an organization know if Diversys can help them?

At Diversys, we really want to be the partner that helps organizations determine what they need to do to embrace transformation, whether they are private sector recycling or waste management firms, government entities, producer responsibility organizations, or product stewardships. You can talk directly to one of us , and we can really get into the details of your unique program. Whether you want a better way to manage your program or you’re curious about what’s now possible in the industry, we’re happy to chat more.

Special - Behind-The-Scenes Look: Insights and Industry Trends Now and For the Future

Wed, 27 Apr 2022 14:41:47 GMT

As a SaaS company who openly invites feedback from our users, we’re often asked about how we decide what new features to add to the Diversys platform, and when.

This week’s special blog post shares important insights about the direction the waste and recycling industry is moving in and what is needed for organizations to stay competitive. We peel back the curtain to reveal how Diversys decides the features that our users need the most right now – and how those features help them achieve their goals now and in the future.

It’s an understandable question, given the changing nature of and priorities in the waste and recycling industry. We want to make sure our users are always fully supported, no matter what their requirements or performance goals are, but with so much diversity in our userbase – across different jurisdictions, types of organizations, and (legislative) requirements – how do we figure out what features everyone needs now in order to stay competitive?

And how do we make sure we keep all our users future-proofed as their requirements change?

With the launch of the latest version of Diversys earlier this month, we’ve added a bunch of new features to do just that. So, we thought it would be a great time to pull back the curtain a bit and unpack the story behind two of those new features: data visualization and g reenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction tracking .

Why did we decide to add these features now? And why do they matter? How are they helping our customers, and the industry as a whole, move towards a world without waste?

Read on to learn more about the important role these features play in the waste and recycling space – and how your organization can benefit.

The Dilemma

If you haven’t had to do it yourself, take our word for it: calculating how much GHG emission reduction your program has achieved (by month, quarter, or year) is complicated .

And if your materials go to different destinations (e.g., landfills, recycling plants, composting facilities, etc.), it only adds layers of complication.

Whether they were mandated to track GHG reduction or voluntarily chose to do so, many of our customers were struggling to do these calculations. And with multiple recycling products, destinations, and jurisdictional requirements, the calculations only got harder to perform.

At the same time, GHG tracking is becoming more important than ever: with growing environmental awareness, many more organizations are realizing the benefits of tracking their GHG emissions or the reduction they’ve managed to achieve. Others are being mandated to share this information with legislative bodies or other stakeholders – it’s become a key metric from ethical and ESG investors especially. These investors often ask how much GHG reduction is being achieved, and they only want to invest in organizations that are meeting their goals.

As a result, Diversys’ mandate was clear: bring simplicity to this overly complex calculation. Could we find a way to track GHG emission reduction as various waste and recycling activities were being performed – so no unnecessary steps and calculations needed to be made?

The answer was yes.
More on how we did that later.

But the complexity our customers face also brought to our attention another problem.

More organizations than ever need to report – both internally and externally – on what they’re doing. Whether it’s to legislative bodies, the public, or internal stakeholders, waste and recycling organizations have more eyes on them than ever before, and there are more people with a vested interest in how their programs are performing.

But, with complex programs, requirements, and goals, it can be difficult for organizations to share their progress in a meaningful story that others can easily understand.

After all, what does it matter to the public if an organization were to say, “we recycled 10,000 aluminum cans last year”? 10,000 out of how many? How can they have the context to understand that amount?

And internally, how could our customers easily share with their teams or partners how they’re improving operations? Are they getting better each month, quarter, or year?

So, the question we asked ourselves was: How could we help our customers easily capture this information and share it – not just as numbers on a spreadsheet, but in a meaningful story?

The Solution

It was clear that our customers – and the industry as a whole – needed a solution to the twin problems of complexity in GHG emission reduction tracking and sharing their stories in a meaningful way.

To address this, we added two new capabilities to the Diversys platform: now, in addition to all the other program- and data management tools Diversys offers, users can also track GHG emission reduction and use improved data visualization to see progress and track performance.

GHG Emission Reduction Tracking

As mentioned, customers needed to perform difficult GHG emissions (and reduction) calculations quickly and accurately.

We added this capability so users could see exactly how much GHG emission reduction they’ve achieved, based on the specifics of what’s happening to their products (I.e. if they’re being landfilled, composted, or recycled).

Best of all, this tracking happens as users are inputting data and as it’s being compiled. You don’t have to manually calculate these figures at the end of your reporting period – you can see these numbers at any time.

Improved Data Visualization

Customers needed to be able to see how their programs are performing at any time, be confident in the accuracy of the info, and be able to share it with others, with just a few clicks.

We wanted to give our users the ability to easily see and share this information. Numbers in an Excel spreadsheet simply don’t tell a compelling story.

We’ve enhanced the software’s ability to provide graphs, charts, and other visual tools to share key metrics – not only for sharing but also for internal monitoring and performance tracking.

With unparalleled data management and visualization capabilities, monitoring and reporting on progress and results have never been easier, faster, or more accurate. Users can now see an instant picture of live results via dashboards customized to their organization’s unique requirements. Reports can be generated with just a few clicks, enabling results and progress to be seen and shared as required, all using the very latest data.

Now it’s easy to compare performance in one time period to another, see the progress towards your goals, and share meaningful reports with external parties.

One new widget we’ve added is a perfect example of a compelling metric: the total volume/weights collected widget.

Organizations are using this widget to share an easy-to-understand figure with stakeholders, investors, higher ups, or even the public. It’s a quick and easy way to help internal and external parties understand how much your program has achieved.

What This Means for Our Customers

Both of these new features – GHG reduction tracking and enhanced data visualization - are crucial for our customers. They transform the way they measure and report on their progress; these new capabilities are truly game changers.

They’re important because they save time, and in our increasingly complex world, that’s imperative. The organizations we work with have responsibilities and complexities that are only increasing. By having automatic, accurate calculations and the ability to visually see progress towards goals, our users can focus on the things that really matter – like making decisions for the business – and not get caught up in day-to-day minutia.

At the same time, they don't need to recreate their data for internal reports or external presentations – it's all ready to use. In fact, all the data that our users get from Diversys is in real time – meaning they can see it right away, respond to what they’re seeing and make tactical and strategic decisions. That is a huge advantage.

Data visualization enhances the software’s existing dashboard, which already gives users the ability to track monthly and annual targets and get more data on how and why you are or are not hitting those targets.

These features give our customers the ability to stay competitive, perform better, be more productive, and communicate more effectively with stakeholders.

In addition to these two, Diversys offers a host of tools to our customers to manage their program best. Get in touch with a program management specialist today to learn more and find out how you can benefit.

MYTH 8: “New solutions come with a cost.”

Thu, 14 Apr 2022 12:15:03 GMT

“Switching to a new software solution means I’ll lose valuable data – and end up paying a big cost.” 

This is the eighth and final installment of our myth-busting series. In this series, we explore some common myths in the recycling and waste management industry, explain how these myths came about and why they persist, and share some revolutionary insights that help program managers see things in a better way.  

Organizations in the waste and recycling space have a unique challenge. Unlike other businesses that focus purely on revenue, waste and recycling organizations must also meet recovery goals or targets. Failure to do so can come with severe consequences, from compliance fines to loss of the public’s trust.

Given this, it’s easy to see why organizations in the industry are so busy trying to keep things working in the day-to-day. It’s challenging to get your head above water and strategically plan for the future when the pressures of today continue to assert themselves.

Looking Ahead…

Yet, when given an opportunity, leaders in the industry look for ways to increase profitability and efficiency. Already, they try to use resources effectively to improve performance and increase profits; when they can get their head above water, they use that time to try to look ahead.

And, inevitably, the question of switching to a digital solution – especially if today, the program heavily relies on paper – comes up.

Most people are generally aware of the benefits of digitization. They know using a software solution instead of paper can reduce the amount of manual labor and supplies required to make their programs run. They know software reduces errors and automates aspects of their program, as well.

But they also think that switching over to such a solution would be a difficult, lengthy process to manage. They think it comes with complications, headaches, delays or interruptions to business – or even worse, full-stops.

So many in the industry think, “Why bother with the hassle?” After all, there are always more immediate pressures.

And so another month, quarter, or year goes by – and the cycle continues.

Routinely, they may be reminded of the cost of relying on paper, such as:

Reduced productivity
High probably of errors
Reputational damage
Heightened compliance risks
Increased travel
Print infrastructure

But still, it’s easy to think “well, this is working… isn’t it?”

Time for a Paradigm Shift

It’s pretty clear for most of us that this system isn’t really working. But how do we move from recognizing that towards an actual solution?

Well, the paradigm shift is simple.

Rather than focussing on the supposed “problems” with digitizing your solution (we’ll address these later), let’s focus on what it would mean to go digital.

We’ve talked before about the importance of digitizing your program , especially if you’re still relying on paper. Now, let’s review what it means to rely on paper. Then we’ll dive into the top 7 benefits of digitizing and how software directly improves your processes.

Paper in the Recycling and Waste Industry

Do the images below look familiar? Prior to adopting a waste or recycling digital solution like Diversys, this is how many organizations in the industry run their programs.

Here’s how it typically works: once a participant (e.g., a hauler, collector, generator, etc.) completes their step in the recycling process (such as picking up materials or dropping them off at a processing facility), they fill out forms like the ones above to record their work--often in duplicate or triplicate! These forms are then mailed or faxed into the managing organization, who have to manually transcribe and enter the information into a data management tool (like Microsoft Excel or Access).

Data entry errors, missing or illegible forms, delays, and wasted time attempting to manually extract performance analysis from the data are just some of the results. The data that organizations collect from this method is unreliable for decision-making, performance tracking, or reporting purposes. This type of data capture is slow, manual, error-prone, susceptible to fraud and security breaches, not real-time, and not centralized.

On the other hand, going digital means replacing these paper forms with a software system that puts a mobile app in the hands of your participants. They fill out their forms directly on the app (security, error, and fraud safeguards are already built in, so you can rest assured the information is accurate), and then those forms are instantly submitted to you, the program manager. You log in from a web browser and see them – as well as a host of other tools for managing your program – right away, without delays.

Yet the sad reality is, most organizations continue to track the movement of their materials with paper forms like the one above.

Let’s talk about the top 7 benefits of going digital. Considering these benefits will help you break free of the old mindset that limits efficiency, productivity, and performance.

Better traceability for full accountability and transparency

When you are dealing with crucial information regarding your waste or recycling program, like pick-up and drop-off activities – especially when they feed into larger reports on your progress towards recovery goals and targets – you want to know where all the information comes from. Sometimes, this means you may need to identify the responsible user if someone made a mistake along the document's "chain of custody." You may also want to control who can access sensitive information. This is next to impossible with paper.

On the other hand, a digital solution provides clear accountability trails for auditing and fixing issues, user access rights, and data security.

Digital solutions make it easy for administrators, such as the people at your organization managing the program, to quickly know who filled out, viewed, or changed forms, and when they did it.

At the end of the day, this means you are in complete control of how (and by whom) your data is collected.

Improved and unmatched data quality

We need high-quality data because it allows us to manage services and determine accountability and have confidence in our information, progress towards goals or targets, and our results.

When you collect data using paper forms, there is always the possibility of incomplete, incorrect, or inaccurate entries occurring during manual transcription or double entries being input into another system (like Excel). Poor handwriting or missing data issues accumulate – it may mean one problem today, but it can lead more problems down the road: inaccurate reporting; an inability to know how you are performing against your goals; or even worse, lacking confidence in the data or information you are creating and providing.

This is disastrous from a program management perspective.

Using a program management software can increase data quality, even when resources are limited, because data entry is controlled with thresholds and field validation. This means that you can limit wrong decision-making in your business that are the result of poor-quality data.

Lower costs

Dealing with paper is slow, cumbersome and expensive work. By adopting a digital solution, not only are you decreasing your chance of human error – you’re also reducing the amount of time your team has to spend on unnecessary tasks.

We’ve seen organizations with banker’s boxes full of paper, filling up shelves, closets, and warehouses! If the storage of your current paper forms is a concern, digitizing your solution will save you money on your storage as well.

Harnessing the Power of Real time data

Access to real-time data is becoming more and more important to all aspects of business. And this makes sense: real-time data enables organizations to understand what’s currently happening so they can make accurate and timely decisions. This is a power harnessed by major, successful corporations – the McDonalds, Starbucks, and Walmarts of the world.

But you don’t have to be a global corporation to take advantage of the power of real-time data. Now, organizations both small and large are implementing real-time data strategies, getting unprecedented visibility on what’s happening in their processes right now.

By using a digital solution to manage your waste or recycling program, you can get real-time data, which is the key to a more proactively managed business and improving operational processes. Your team can check, in real time, what’s happening in the field – so you always see and know at a glance how you are performing against your specific goals.

Increased operational efficiency

Curious about how much time paper is wasting in your recycling organization?

According to a recent study,  57% of office workers  spend one hour per day searching for missing documents; at the end of the week, quarter, or year, this is significant time loss. And this doesn’t include time spent correct errors or mistakes from illegible or incomplete forms!

Couple that with double data entry, manual data checks and management, printing, distributing, and returning paper forms and you can see how much extra time is devoted to dealing with inefficient paper processes.

Digitizing simplifies all of this, ensuring your team stops wasting time looking for missing forms or information. Instead, with a couple clicks of the mouse, they can find exactly what they’re looking for, know the information is current and not stale or outdated, and create meaningful analyses out of it.

Better integration

The tools you’re already using (such as your ERP, CRM, data management, or financial tools) provide you features to help simplify specific business processes. But to maximize the potential of these tools, you need to make them work together. Integrating your business systems and applications enables your team and participants to collaborate and communicate more efficiently, thus increasing productivity.

Using paper, you will need extra steps to get your various tools and systems to talk to each other.

On the other hand, the right digital solution integrates with all your other systems, exchanging data, tasks, and insights.

Digital integration tools provide access to all your data in one place, allowing you to make more informed and timely decisions for your business.

More reliable data backups

Traditional document management practices (like using information entered into Excel) encourage the saving of documents on local computers and non-controlled file shares. This means that quite often, data may not be properly backed up.

And unfortunately, we’re often confronted with this weakness in our processes only when it’s too late and data is lost.

A good management tool saves records of all your recycling or waste activities and stores them in one location - significantly improving users’ ability to properly backup and readily retrieve all data.

The Benefits Outweigh the “Problems”

Despite the clear benefits, there are many organizations that fear adopting waste or recycling software to manage their programs, because it seems like it would require a huge overhaul or disruption of their current processes – not to mention a large upfront time and monetary investment.

Different software companies address this concern in different ways, so it’s important that organizations opting for waste or recycling software to thoroughly vet their potential partners. This will help you ensure that the partner you choose understands that your business is recycling or waste management - not technology - and is willing to take on all of the heavy lifting on your behalf.

The hallmark of a good partner is one who offloads all the headaches of adopting software, so you can remain focused on your business and work can continue uninterrupted. As well, any legacy data you might have should be preserved, and if you have other tools that work for you – such as an ERP system, CRM software, or financial tools – they should be seamlessly integrated into with the waste or recycling management software.

MYTH 7: "Poor data doesn’t cost me."

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 07:55:02 GMT

“Sure, poor data sucks, but it doesn’t really cost me anything.” 

This is the seventh installment of our eight-part myth-busting series. In this series, we explore some common myths in the recycling and waste management industry, explain how these myths came about and why they persist, and share some revolutionary insights that help program managers see things in a better way. 

What do organizations like Starbucks, Burberry, McDonald’s, and Spotify have in common? 

We don’t blame you if you’re stumped. After all, they seem disparate: one’s the world’s largest coffeehouse chain, another is a luxury fashion house; one is a multinational fast-food corporation, and another is an audio streaming service. 

Yet, all four companies share this:  

They’re using data in innovative, creative ways to improve performance and boost sales.  

And their success is not incidental. These organizations are leveraging the intel they gain through advanced metrics to build better campaigns, make more informed decisions, and even predict customer behavior .  

They also can deliver better experiences to consumers, get more targeted and personalized, and become more efficient overall. 

Poor Data Doesn’t Cost? The Stark Numbers 

Big corporations like these are the obvious examples of the importance of leveraging high-quality data, but they are hardly unique in this regard.  

In fact, given the abundance of examples of organizations making the most of their data to drive success – not to mention the examples of organizations running bad operations based on faulty data - it’s hard to imagine that this myth persists.  

But sometimes, identifying how much poor data is costing your organization specifically is a little more challenging.  

So let’s look at the stark numbers.  

It's estimated that the cost of bad data is an astonishing 15% to 25% of revenue for most companies. 

What does this translate to in terms of dollars? 

A study by Gartner has found that most organizations surveyed estimate they lose $14.2 million annually – just because of poor data.   

While the size of your organization or budget may be larger or smaller than the average, these numbers aren't easy to ignore. They do and should give us pause. 

As well, there are unique challenges and considerations for the waste and recycling industry that make good quality data especially crucial. 

So, let’s dive into the role data plays in this industry in three steps:

Defining what data quality is. Having this definition will be helpful if you’re wondering whether your organization specifically is utilizing—meaning collecting, storing and easily accessing—high-quality data or not
Discussing where we typically see organizations in the industry lose data integrity, and what the cost of that loss is
Identifying what can be done about all of this

1. What is Data Quality? 

Data quality can be assessed on the basis of three key factors: relevance, accuracy, and consistency .  

Relevance is the extent to which data is useful for a given task or purpose . For instance, most waste or recycling organizations need to report on specific information to legislators, stakeholders, or the public – such as tonnage diverted from landfills, GHG emission reduction, or volume of derived products after processing. 

Questions to ask:

Are the measurements used by these organizations to track this information truly relevant?
Ask you tracking the right metrics to be able to report on your crucial information correctly?

Accuracy is the degree to which information contained within data matches what was originally intended . This is one standard many in the industry struggle to meet, and the cause is very simple: most recycling or waste management departments, divisions, or organizations rely on paper forms to capture information about what’s happening “in the field” (meaning when materials are picked up, dropped off, or processed).

Questions to ask:

Is your organization relying on paper forms?
Since paper forms provides zero safeguards to protect against errors and fraud, can you be sure about the accuracy of the data that is being collected, written and transcribed?
Do you know how often inaccuracies seep through your program?

Consistency is the extent to which data from different sources agrees with one another . Another aspect of consistency is timing which is all about understanding whether you are accessing, reviewing and using the latest available data or perhaps data that is stale and even outdated.

Questions to ask:

How do you know if the numbers you’re looking at in the office are the same ones coming in from the field? ( Hint : if you use paper forms and an individual manually enters information from these forms into a software tool like MS-Excel, your data consistency is already at risk.)
Is the information or data you’re looking at provided to you in real time? Or are you getting paper forms in the mail weeks after drop-offs and pick-ups have taken place?
Are there even more delays as you reconcile the numbers and all those reams of paper?

Taking an honest look at these key data factors—are you able to track the right metrics that are critical to your organization, is the data behind the metrics correct and accurate, and is the data the most accurate and timely that it could be—is the first step in understanding whether your organization has a data quality issue. Then next step is to then understand the ramifications or impact of low-quality data.

2. Losing Data Integrity and the Cost of Low-Quality Data 

Now that we have a basic definition of what it means to have good-quality data, it’s likely pretty clear why having it is so important. But let’s look at a basic example of what low-quality data—data that lacks relevance, accuracy, and consistency—results in:

If you are trying to study your program’s performance over time, for example, and your data has errors that lead to exaggerated recovery numbers in one month and understated figures in another, then you cannot use this information reliably in an analysis of performance trends. It becomes utterly useless for making meaningful decisions or even determining how well your program is performing or how your organization is progressing towards its goals.

Additionally, you waste a lot of time trying to get relevance, accuracy, and consistency when these key factors are not already built into your processes. If you’re in this position, then you know that today, someone at your organization must manually look for spots where there could be room for errors, fraud, or security breaches – and then figure out how to solve those issues each and every time.

Manually checking for errors and inconsistencies and identifying how to solve issues as part of your ongoing process is requires extra steps and work, often referred to as the “ hidden data factory .”

And these steps are instances where your organization is only losing resources to correct any error – not earning revenue, and certainly not managing a budget well.

*Source: Thomas C. Redman

The example above commonly occurs in the waste and recycling industry. Think of Department A as your participants (e.g., haulers, collectors, generators, etc.) doing recycling or waste work in the field. If they report errors in their work (for instance, by failing to fill out a paper form completely or making a mistake when filling it out), it gets handed on directly to you (Department B in the chart above). And it’s easy for you to spend endless hours trying to fix or reconcile those errors.

This sounds like a small or minor issue, but the effect is cumulative. And in most waste or recycling organizations, there is no way to tell how often this is happening and how many other areas of your program are suffering from similar issues.

Quite simply, this is not a good way to work.

Not only is the result poor data, but that poor data is one of the costliest errors. Six years ago, IBM calculated the cost of poor data as three TRILLION dollars – in the US alone. And that number has only grown since.

So, what does this mean for your organization specifically?

Well, it can lead to a range of problems, the most basic of which is that it creates an inaccurate view of your program, and your progress towards recovery or other goals.

Many organizations find it helpful to evaluate their own operations and how they interact with data by asking themselves a series of questions, and carefully consider both the answers as well as the consequences to those answers.

How Is Your Data Quality? And How Well Are You Using Data In Your Program?

What do you need to know right now? What sort of things do you need to measure and report on? (e.g., tonnage diverted from landfill, GHG emission reduction achieved, etc.)

How easy is to retrieve that information?

How do you know this information is accurate?

How timely is the information? Is it hours, days, or weeks old?

Is your program restricted by geographic zone? Can you be sure that pick-ups and drop-offs are only happening within that zone?

What security, fraud, and error safeguards exist in your program? Where do they start? (e.g., Right at the beginning, as pick-ups and drop-offs are taking place?)

Can you easily tell how each one of your program’s participants (e.g., haulers, collectors, drivers, processers, etc.) are performing?

Can you see, right now , exactly where you are against your recovery goal or GHG reduction target (or whatever you need to measure) for this month, quarter, or year?

3. How Can you Fix the Issues?

Many organizations – especially ones clinging to the myth that poor data isn’t costing them anything - reckon that they are saving money by paying less for data.

But the reality is, it costs more to clean up poor quality data. Poor data can lead to poor decisions, which require even more work. It also inevitably leads to inaccuracies that negatively impact your stakeholders or the public, incorrect insights, and missed opportunities.

So, what can be done to avoid poor data in the first place? And what can be done if you already have poor data quality and management in place?

The first step is to digitize your recycling or waste management program so that you can adopt the three critical factors of high-quality data. Getting rid of paper – and building into your program the safeguards and checkpoints needed to guarantee relevance, accuracy, and consistency – is both crucial and transformational.

Once you take this first step, many of the issues and challenges you currently face will be resolved. Regardless of how your current program operates, it is built on the foundation of data—the quality of which can vary. By ensuring you focus on high-quality data, and improving overall data management, you can easily:

Rely on your data for decision-making without having to waste hours verifying that it’s accurate
See how you’re performing against your targets and goals at any time
Make sure that the information you’re getting from the field is the same as the information you’re seeing in the office
Measure exactly what you need to measure, and quickly build reports or access dashboards about that information
Visualize your data so you can look at it from different angles and pull out all the analysis and insights you need to run your program more efficiently
Improve relationships with vendors, participants, stakeholders, and the public

As you can see, there is a way to not only improve the way you manage your waste or recycling program, but to get to also get everything you need to turn it into one that is more efficient, effective and productive—and the key for all of this is to ensure you have relevant, accurate, consistent and readily available data.

Myth 6: “All that matters is, I’m diverting waste.”

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 15:38:39 GMT

“Even if I can’t track all my activities in detail or 100% accurately, at the end of the day, I’m still diverting waste from landfills.”

This is the sixth installment of our eight-part myth-busting series. In this series, we explore some common myths in the recycling and waste management industry, explain how these myths came about and why they persist, and share some revolutionary insights that help program managers see things in a better way.

It’s a well-known fact that the waste crisis is quickly spiraling out of control.

Options for dealing with waste are running out – and diverting waste from landfills, while very necessary, is proving increasingly challenging. Waste with nowhere to go is increasing at an alarming rate: in fact, the World Bank estimates that global waste will increase by 70 percent by 2050 unless urgent action is taken.

The causes of the struggle to address this crisis are manifold: everything from population growth and urbanization to geopolitics and consumer behavior plays a role in increasing waste. Diverting waste from landfills is a must that few argue against. Another must is finding better ways to manage waste and recycling programs so that waste diversion can be measured, tracked and reported on with accuracy and ease. However, technology has only recently advanced enough to materially help with these waste diversion goals.

Most organizations, whether they’re the sustainability division of a multinational corporation or a small municipal recycling department, are still using outdated methods of tracking waste and recycling efforts, such as paper forms and legacy software.

Because of these inadequate systems, these organizations aren't able to accurately know exactly how much waste they're diverting from landfills. Although they're focused on waste diversion as a goal, they will often say things like, “doesn’t any effort we’re making to divert waste from landfills – whether big or small – matter? Isn’t every little bit helping?”

And: “isn’t the effort I'm making, even if I can’t track exactly how much waste I'm diverting from landfills, still making a difference ? At the end of the day, isn’t that all that matters ?”

The answer, of course, is not a short and easy one. The effort is necessary and it does matter, but it's not all that matters.

Let's discuss exactly why this approach is actually inadequate – both in terms of addressing the waste crisis and climate change AND for doing what's best for your business in terms of waste diversion.

“Good Enough” Isn’t Good Enough

We’ve written before about how more attention than ever is now being paid to the waste and recycling industry, and specifically, waste diversion. While there are obvious benefits to this attention, it puts extra pressure on the organizations that are in the spotlight.

Awareness is increasing: more people than ever are self-educating and spreading the word on the climate crisis, the role of solid waste and landfills, and creative solutions that can help us avoid disaster.

More people than ever are also demanding more accountability from organizations on the frontlines of waste diversion efforts.

The demand for more accountability affects waste and recycling organizations in two key ways .

Legislation is changing (and increasing) to require more and more detail from organizations in particular regions to prove that they are diverting the waste they’re claiming to divert. While in the past, it may have sufficed to report on the number (by quantity, weight, volume, etc.) of recycled materials, legislation is getting increasingly specific . Now organizations are having to report on: types of specific materials being recycled, derived products after recycling, the amount of GHG emission reduction achieved – and more. As we understand the broader implications of climate change and waste diversion, there’s more we need to track.
The community of interested stakeholders that a waste or recycling organization or sustainability division has is changing and diversifying . As more of the public is taking an interest in recycling, they’re demanding more from both their favorite brands and local organizations. This means that the types of groups interested in your recycling and waste diversion efforts are changing – and the way you communicate needs to change in tandem . If the demand is for more detail, then waste and recycling organizations need to be able to respond.

And this only makes sense. After all, we want to know that big corporations and small recycling organizations alike are committing to concrete, actionable, climate crisis-combating change -- not vague promises.

Thankfully, recycling and waste organizations have the unprecedented ability to deliver on their promises – and prove in detail that they are – to these different groups, whether they’re legislative bodies, ESG stakeholders, or consumers.

Again, this is the difference between vague promises (such as “we will do more for the environment”) and committing to a solid, measurable waste diversion goal (such as, “we will recycle 1 million cans this year.”).

In our current waste climate, such concrete promises – and the proof that backs them up – are high currency indeed. From an ESG perspective, it’s the organizations that can commit and prove they’re accomplishing their waste diversion goals that will become the leaders in this ever-changing landscape.

Doing What's Best for Your Business

This is not just about your organization's reputation, but also about simply making the best choices for your business.

For waste and recycling organizations focused on waste diversion goals, making the best choices for your business must include being able to:

get full visibility into your program, to a very granular level
track your materials’ movements in real time, at any time
measure your performance (i.e. waste diverted) in detail

Many organizations still use manual, paper-based processes or custom, legacy software to manage their recycling, waste, or sustainability programs. They may recognize that they can’t track all their activities in detail or with 100% accuracy. But they comfort themselves that, at the end of the day, they’re still diverting waste from landfills even if they don't know and cannot prove how much.

They struggle to gain key insights into how their operations are performing – insights that could help them:

improve their processes and relations
save time and money
efficiently achieve their waste diversion goals

Numerous organizations waste endless hours manually entering data from paper forms into data management tools (like Excel) or custom software. At the end of the day, all of their performance analysis has to be manually calculated – they can’t just log in and see how their program is performing on a dashboard or visualize a particular key metric (like GHG emission reduction).

And, they have no guarantee that their data is accurate .

On the one hand, organizations in this position take comfort in the belief that they are still doing something to combat climate change and the waste crisis. They are after all, diverting waste from landfills. Yet at the same time, they have no reliable means to materially prove that they are. So how do they really know?

It’s a scary thought, isn’t it?

Don't Panic Just Yet...

The very thought makes some people panic and want to stop investigating any further. After all, it would be terrible to believe you’re working towards a goal over the course of a year... only to find out that the way you’ve been measuring your progress is faulty. There are many, many organizations who would simply rather not know.

But burying your head in the sand is never a great idea. And it’s unlikely to remain an option for long.

As we discussed, legislative bodies, ESG stakeholders, and the public are demanding more transparency, not less. So rather than continue to work the way they always have – imprecisely, opaquely, vaguely – more and more organizations are embracing data-driven business strategies that help them measure their goals clearly and communicate their work accurately.

Instead of continuing down a path of inaccuracy, waste and recycling organizations are realizing the power they can harness by having clear, irrefutable data proving they’re doing as much to combat climate change as they are claiming.

This type of accuracy impacts more than just reputation and reporting: it means that organizations can grow their operations meaningfully, because each process, relationship, and goal comes under the microscope. And it starts right away, impacting their day-to-day work.

By adopting new ways to digitize their programs, organizations change their relationship with data: they see the value in getting it accurately and in real time, in not wasting time reconciling endless boxes full of paper forms, in tracking goals with the click of a mouse.

It brings the whole thing into perspective: rather than seeming too complex and unsolvable, the waste crisis can be pitted directly against data. Data breaks down the complexity into small, measurable goals and actionable, trackable commitments.

What About Those on the Front Line of Waste Diversion?

Tools this powerful actually give those on the frontline of the waste crisis the ability to:

contribute to that fight meaningfully
know exactly where they stand at any point in time
report on activities and outcomes with accuracy and transparency.

At the end of the day, organizations that put data at the helm of their waste or recycling programs can say more than, “hey, at least we’re doing something .” Rather, they can prove to their stakeholders and the public that they’ve materially contributed to a waste-free world.

In today's rapidly changing world, waste diversion is more critical than ever.

While a growing number of organizations are focused on waste diversion, legislative bodies, ESG stakeholders, and growingly diverse communities are demanding more data and more transparency on these efforts.

In an earlier post, we stated that "ad opting a digital solution means the difference between vaguely committing to a goal and actually measuring your progress towards it."

When it comes to tackling the waste crisis and focusing on a goal of waste diversion, this hits the nail on the head. To really commit to such a goal, and to communicate the tangible progress you're making towards it (whether that's weekly, quarterly or annually), digital solutions cannot be underestimated.

By taking your programs digital--and leaving behind outdated, cumbersome process that are either paper-based or rooted in outdated legacy systems--you and your organization will have the opportunity to:

instantly and accurately see how much landfill diversion or GHG reduction you've achieved
report accurately to your stakeholders on your progress with unimpeachable data backing you up
safeguard every step and every activity that comprises your overall program

MYTH 5: “Paper is simple, and therefore better.”

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 11:53:18 GMT

“For simple actions like recycling pick-ups and drop-offs, it makes sense to use paper forms – they’re quick, easy, and convenient.”

This is the fifth installment of our eight-part myth-busting series. In this series, we explore some common myths in the recycling and waste management industry, explain how these myths came about and why they persist, and share some revolutionary insights that help program managers see things in a better way.

Let’s face it: simplicity is attractive.

As human beings, we’re naturally wired to seek it. A sleek, elegant solution to a problem will always trump the seeming nuisance of a complex one.

And in the increasingly complex world of waste and recycling – with its ever-changing legislation , new waste materials, and new technologies – simplicity is extremely desirable.

Perhaps that’s why we seek - and sometimes settle for – solutions to our industry challenges that give the appearance of simplicity.

Chief among these “simple” solutions is the use of paper forms to track the movement of materials or material flows in a waste or recycling program. (Some organizations refer to these forms as manifests or transaction forms.)

When it comes to these paper manifest or transaction forms, there are a few questions that must be asked:

Is the use of paper forms really a simple solution?
Is this solution as simple as it seems?
Do paper forms really give us what we need in the industry?
Could paper forms be causing more issues than they solve?

In this week’s post, let’s dive into the world of paper forms, examine the pros and cons of their use, and explore alternative options for tracking the movement of waste and recycling materials within a waste or recycling management program.

What Exactly Are We Trying to Do Here?

Before we can evaluate paper forms as a solution, let’s first take the time to understand what function they are supposed to play. What problem are we trying to solve?

Well, it’s three-fold.

Most waste or recycling organizations—whether they work in an EPR/IPR legislative framework or not--have some common requirements and concerns. They are trying to:

1. Track their productivity and progress towards their goals or recovery targets

A common issue in this area might sound something like, “I need to divert 1000 tonnes of material x from landfills by the end of the year. It’s November, and I don’t know what percent complete I am.”
Or “I have no easy way of seeing how much GHG emission reduction my program has achieved. I can use historical data to try to calculate it, but the data is outdated, it might have errors, and quite simply, I just don’t have the time it would take to figure this out.”

2. Make sure the data they’re getting from “in the field” is high quality—meaning, it’s complete, accurate, and isn’t missing altogether

A concern in this area might be: “The participant who picked up material from a collection point said she picked up 100 kgs of materials yesterday. How do I know if that’s true or if that number is accurate?”

3. “See” what’s happening in their entire program, down to the nitty-gritty details at the transaction level

An organization struggling in this area might say: “There’s a mistake in my numbers, and there’s no easy way to trace back to where it came from. I’ll have to go through multiple spreadsheets and banker’s boxes full of paper to find the source and fix the issue. It’s going to take me forever and I don’t even know if I’ll be able to find the error as it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack”

These organizations also need all this information at any time, and with so much confidence and reliability that they’re not wasting hours and hours verifying that it's true.

For many organizations, they also need to build detailed reports for legislators or other key stakeholders that prove they’ve met their targets and goals. The pressure to be highly accurate and efficient is immense.

Paper Forms: The Old Way of Doing Things

Until very recently, there was simply no easy way for organizations to do any of these three things:

track their progress towards recovery targets and other goals
ensure they have accurate, complete and high-quality data
have the ability to see into their entire, sometimes complex, program, right to the granular transaction level

Most organizations were and still are relying on paper form s to track in-field activities. For instance, a participant (like a hauler, collector, generator, etc.) would use a form to record the quantity or weight of materials they picked up from a waste collection point or dropped off to a recycling plant.

Though they seem simple to use, these forms come with a host of problems because they can be:

completely illegible or at a minimum, extremely hard to read
filled with errors , or are written such that someone has to guess to interpret the information, making room for more potential errors to occur
in need of having someone manually transcribe the data into a tool like MS-Excel, introducing the potential for even more errors
part of a cumbersome, outdated process that takes an inordinate investment of time
pieces of paper and as such, do not contain any built-in fraud, error or security safeguards whatsoever

As becomes evident, these paper-based systems—due to the number of issues they both inherently come with and inadvertently cause—can end up costing an organization way too much without providing the benefits of irrefutable, high-quality data that these organizations need in order to be more productive, more effective and therefore, more successful.

What Do We Need To Be Effective?

So, let’s now examine what it would take for a manifest system to actually be effective. We know that paper forms have had their time and place but that it’s now evident that they aren’t foolproof, nor can their effectiveness be improved. They have finite limits of what is possible.

An effective solution must expand the limits of what is possible—and quite simply, this means moving beyond being rooted in paper.

A truly effective solution would have to approach waste and recycling program management differently. It would have to digitize every step of a waste or recycling process and build in the appropriate fraud-, error- and security safeguards that are necessary, and that are the backbone of high-quality data.

Such a solution would need to give users the detailed visibility into their programs and every activity (down to individual events) that they currently lack – easily, quickly, and at any time. In fact, in real time so that a data-driven picture of the waste and recycling programs and operations can be accessed, assessed and course-corrected (if necessary) in short order. Best of all, such a solution would provide the accurate, irrefutable data most operations leaders need to make good decisions in the best interest of their organizations. Another thing that a paper-based process really can’t provide.

And finally, a truly effective solution would need to provide the utmost flexibility. Since the industry is constantly changing, new legislation is being adopted across the globe at seemingly record speed, and businesses are growing more rapidly than ever, the processes that they currently rely on must be adapted and in many cases, upgraded.

E-manifests: The New Paperless Way to Manage a Waste or Recycling Program

As is the case with pretty much everything these days, there is both bad and good news when it comes to your waste and recycling management programs. The bad news is that if you’re still rooted in paper-based systems and are still dealing with the plethora of challenges that come with them, you’re simply not using the best available tool for the job you have at hand. The good news is that you are of course managing your current program however, there are much better ways and much better tools you can adopt—quickly and easily—that will help you overcome the challenges you’re experiencing.

There are some very specific reasons for going paperless and taking your recycling or waste management program to the next, digital level.

Assess what going digital can do for you, your program, and your organization

Adopting a digital solution and transitioning to e-manifests can deliver many tangible benefits to you and your organization in a short time frame.

At a high level, going digital allows you to see everything that’s happening in your program, report on your progress and key performance indicators, and ensure that everything is accurate, safe and fully secured—all things that a paper-based system simply cannot provide.

In one of our earlier blogs, we put together some key things to look for in any digital solution—check them out here as a refresher.

A digital solution like Diversys can provide you with a complete way to go paperless. Utilizing 3 key components: a mobile app for in-field users that are on the go making pickups and drop offs; a web portal for you and your in-office team to easily provide overall program management; and an unparalleled data management hub that captures, stores and provides real-time access to all of your program data—your entire program can run smoothly from start to finish.

These three components—delivered via a mobile app, a program management web portal, and a data hub with key reporting and real-time dashboard capabilities—are all underpinned by what we call “audit-ready” data. Data that is accurate, complete, fully traceable, and in the end, irrefutable is the pillar of going digital.

There are many other factors to consider when deciding to go digital—and many benefits that can be unique to your operations. If you’ve been thinking about going paperless for a while or just started to hear about e-manifests and want some expert advice, rest assured there’s never been a better time to start the discussion.

MYTH 4: “I have everything I need.”

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 10:48:06 GMT

“Between paper forms, my data management tool, CRM, ERP, and finance software, I have all the tools I need to measure and track my ESG strategy.”

This is the fourth installment of our eight-part myth-busting series. In this series, we explore some common myths in the recycling and waste management industry, explain how these myths came about and why they persist, and share some revolutionary insights that help program managers see things in a better way.

Demands for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) integration in business operations has increased substantially over the last few years.

Just last year, an estimated $120 billion was poured into sustainable investments, doubling from the previous year. And it only continues to grow.

While these investments and the public interest they garner are long overdue, they come with some concerns: namely, there’s now more pressure than ever on organizations to devise robust, data-driven ESG strategies – ones that demonstrably move us towards our circular economy goals.

Whether the goal is greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction, a certain tonnage of landfill diversion, or better and more detailed reporting that proves we’re headed in the right direction, the spotlight comes with added pressure.

This of course affects big and small recycling operations alike – everyone’s trying to figure how best to accurately measure, track, and report on their recycling efforts.

It's really no wonder we’ve seen an influx of tools being adopted by organizations to help, directly and indirectly, with these efforts. Not only are people turning to software tools to help their daily operations run more smoothly, they’re hoping that these solutions will also drive them more efficiently towards their long-term performance goals.

But are these tools really helping?

Let’s take a look at some of these solutions in detail and examine how well-equipped they are to drive us to a world without waste.

Tools for Your ESG Initiatives

As part of their ESG strategy, most organizations in recycling and waste management are using at least some software tools. These may include:

A data management tool, such as Excel or Google Sheets

Generally, organizations that use paper forms manually enter the data from the forms into this software. From here, they can create graphs and charts to “visualize” their data. Many organizations stretch these programs to function as performance tracking or program management tools, which is ineffective – these tools aren’t intended to be used this way and don’t do what is needed.

A customer relationship management (CRM) tool, such as Salesforce, NetSuite, or Zoho

Though there are lots of uses, these are generally used in the industry to manage relations with participants (e.g., haulers, processers, collectors, generators, etc.).

An enterprise resource planning (ERP) tool, such as SAP or Microsoft Dynamics NAV

Generally, these are used for inventory management.

Some sort of financial tool, like an accounting software such as QuickBooks

These are used to help with things like payments to participants and budgeting.

Most organizations are relying on more than one of these to operate efficiently, as each one takes care of a separate area of concern. By using some or all, especially in addition to paper forms, recycling and waste management organizations hope to create meaningful reports for their stakeholders, smoothly manage their participant relations, stay within budget, and hit their performance goals or recovery targets for the month, quarter, or year.

However, the questions to ask are:

How good are these tools at giving you a full picture of your operations? Are there blind-spots ? And where, in all these different solutions, are the checks and balances to make sure that the progress you think you’re making towards your goals is accurate and provable?

In one way, it’s fair to assume that, with so many tools to cover so many different facets of an organization’s recycling operations, there wouldn’t be any gaps or anything missing.

After all, if I've invested in all of these different tools, they should be enough to ensure my operations are running smoothly and that I'm reaching my ESG goals – shouldn’t they?

Unfortunately, this false belief is precisely why this myth persists.

A Cobbled Together Solution?

Before we talk a bit about the one key thing all of these solutions don’t give you, let’s talk about how well these solutions interact with one another. This is crucial if you want a full picture of your recycling operation and to know for sure how well you’re progressing in your ESG strategy.

If your organization uses multiple tools to manage your waste or recycling program, do your software platforms talk directly to one another ?

For instance, if you enter information from a paper form into Excel about the amount of waste or recycling materials that were picked up on a certain day by a certain participant, can you also see that information shared in your CRM? Is it available on both platforms in real-time, right away?

From there, is it easy to look at trends from your data? To go back to the example above, can you see all of the pickups that participant has done historically? Can you parse that information to create meaningful analysis?

And if your multiple tools don’t integrate directly with one another, how do you decide which one has the most accurate information? Which can you trust the most when they don’t reconcile?

Or have your business practices been siloed by multiple tools?

siloed

/ˈsʌɪləʊd/

adjective

-(of a system, process, department, etc.) isolated from others.

These are some important questions to consider when you examine your own operations. There’s nothing wrong with multiple tools – in fact, using many different platforms it’s the reality for all businesses – but it’s always good to remember to return to your ultimate goal and see if these tools help (or even hinder) your progress towards it.

So, ultimately the question is: how well are these tools giving you a full, accurate, traceable, and provable picture of your operation’s performance?

The Gap In Your Solutions

At the end of the day, these tools do an excellent job of showing you pieces of your operations .

But they simply don’t give you a full picture of your performance.

Each one tells a different story, and sometimes the stories don’t add up.

Another issue is, these solutions don’t give you the checks and balances necessary to make sure your performance is on target.

They can generally keep things running in your daily operations.

But they can’t visually show you your progress towards your goals – and they definitely can’t make sure that progress measurement is based on 100% reliable data.

So, these tools help you in your daily operations . But they don’t help you make sure you’re on track to meet your performance goals or recovery targets .

This means they cannot be the only part of your ESG strategy .

Taking a Step Back

But this is just the beginning of the problem.

To understand what is needed to fix it, we need to take a step back and ask: what is really needed for you to make sure you’re meeting your targets and goals?

It’s simple:

At the end of the day, for any recycling program to be successful, it needs to have a foundation of high-quality, irrefutable data.

That means the data coming in from the field needs to be solid and 100% accurate. And this means that the security, fraud and error safeguards need to be embedded in your processes right from the beginning, right as data is being captured. Adding these safeguards at any other point (say, when data is being manually entered into Excel) is simply too late.

“The field” = This is what we call it when a participant (e.g., hauler, collector, generator, etc.) is performing a waste or recycling activity, such as a pickup or dropoff. If these activities are captured and tracked on a paper form, there’s no safeguards against error or fraud. And this information needs to be 100% accurate, because it feeds into the recycling or waste organization’s performance tracking.

Garbage In, Garbage Out

But this is just the beginning of the problem.

To understand what is needed to fix it, we need to take a step back and ask: what is really needed for you to make sure you’re meeting your targets and goals?

It’s simple:

At the end of the day, for any recycling program to be successful, it needs to have a foundation of high-quality, irrefutable data.

These errors sound ridiculous – and yet there is no current way of knowing how often they happen in a recycling or waste program. If they are caught, it can take weeks, sometimes months, to go back and find where the error started from. At this point, payments may have already gone through and reporting periods or auditing may have already occurred.

What’s more, the organization might be way off about the progress they think they’re making towards their goals.

This is a very real problem that’s keeping many in the industry up at night. There a huge sign of data resistance , as well.

So what’s the solution?

Stop Relying on Paper

The solution is to build a process that makes sure accurate information is captured right from the beginning .

This means that if you’re using paper forms to capture data, you need to switch to a digital solution that can detect and protect against fraud, errors, or security breaches.

This solution might ask participants to enter information into an app (rather than a paper form) that can automatically detect if the information entered is “off” - for instance, if quantities and weights entered don’t match up. It may use features such as geotagging to ensure that the pickup or dropoff location being entered is accurate. (This is especially important for organizations that work in geographic constrictions or pay incentives to participants based on location.)

These are just a few simple examples, but these features go a long way to ensuring information in your program is accurate.

This helps with the overall management of your program, especially of the solution can show you performance metrics or visualize your data so you can easily track how you’re doing against your KPIs.

With accurate information from the get-go, that performance tracking actually is reliable, so you can make business decisions based on it and report confidently to stakeholders, legislators, or auditors.

What About My Other Tools?

A good program management software may have some overlap with your other software tools. For instance, it may have a way to manage participants, track inventory, or create invoices.

So, when it comes to multiple tools, integration is key.

You need a program management tool that directly talks to your CRM, ERP, or financial tool. So the same information that’s entered in the former will show up in the latter. And vice versa.

That way, your program management tool can complement the software tools your team is comfortable using, by ensuring the results are accurate, traceable, reliable.

At the end of the day, your program management software should unite instead of silo your business processes and give you the same, accurate information across software platforms and departments in real time.

That way, you can reliably say that your ESG strategy is effective.

MYTH 3: "The future is stable"

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 12:22:27 GMT

"We know and can predict the direction that the recycling & waste management industry is taking, so it’s easy to prepare for the future."

This is the third installment of our eight-part myth-busting series. In this series, we explore some common myths in the recycling and waste management industry, explain how these myths came about and why they persist, and share some revolutionary insights that help program managers see things in a better way.

The changing trends of the waste and recycling management are sometimes easy to predict from a distance.

For instance, we know that digitization is becoming increasingly important for a variety of industries – it's no stretch of the imagination to see that this would be the case for waste and recycling as well. It’s easy to take comfort in the idea that we can predict what changes will come, which is precisely why this myth persists.

But these trend predictions don’t always prepare us for the corresponding changes to our businesses and the day-to-day work that we do. Couple this with legislation and regulatory changes that can be implemented rapidly, change on the whole is hard to predict.

Because of this, our methods for managing waste and recycling programs have had to become increasingly nimble: after all, changes may come that alter your ESG or business goals, how you define your jurisdiction, what specifically you need to track, and how and to whom you need to report your results to.

Flexibility: The Way of the Future – And Present

We’ve talked before a bout the importance of digitization for recycling and waste management, and how digital software solutions are the only ones that adequately address the increased volume and demands of the industry.

Digitization is also the only way to get the flexibility needed to adapt to changes in our programs as they come. Again, changing volume demands, business models, more oversight that requires detailed reporting all require a quick response from those managing waste and recycling programs.

But when it comes to digitization, there are plenty of options. Many organizations opt for building custom software, either by commissioning a software solution through a custom software developer or working with their IT department to develop the solution in-house.

It sounds like a reasonable option. After all, if the software is built specifically for your organization, how could it fail to do what you need it to?

But remember – the future is anything but stable. Flexibility in the way you manage your recycling or waste program is not a “nice to have” - it’s entirely mandatory, and only becoming moreso.

For instance, many organizations have always had to report on how much material (by weight or volume) they’ve diverted from landfill. But for many, it’s become mandatory to also report on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction they’ve achieved. Is it easy, fast, and inexpensive for organizations with existing, custom-built software to add this feature to their solution?

So, the important question to ask is, what solution will ensure the most flexibility so your program can always easily respond to the changes that come your way?

In a world of rising digitization, the solution industries searching for flexibility increasingly turn to is Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

What is SaaS?

A SaaS solution is a pre-made, industry-specific solution that’s usually delivered over the Internet – meaning users don’t have to install any hardware to start using it. They typically log in from a web browser and have access to the system right away – saving time, avoiding IT headaches, and simplifying access to the solution (you can log in anywhere, as long as you have Internet connection).

Typically, users pay a monthly fee to use SaaS solutions. The monthly cost is usually relatively low, as a larger userbase uses the software and the cost is split amongst them. As well, unlike with custom software, the SaaS provider pays for the cost of updating, maintaining, and hosting the solution, not the users.

Because the userbase is larger than with a solution that will only be used by one organization, SaaS solutions typically come with a larger set of well-defined features than their custom-built counterparts.

When we look at SaaS for the waste and recycling industry in particular, this array of features plays a big role in supplying users with the flexibility that makes SaaS so attractive. Think about it: these features may be ones you did not consider when mapping out your needs for a custom-built solution, or ones you didn’t need before but do now.

To go back to our previous example, if your organization suddenly had to start tracking GHG emission reduction in addition to landfill diversion, you could just start using the SaaS solution’s GHG measuring feature. This is quicker and easier than having an IT department or custom developer create, test, implement, and train on a brand-new feature – and it comes at no additional cost or time delay.

Weighing Your Options: A Key Perspective

To summarize what we’ve discussed so far, as a manager of a waste or recycling program, you have options when it comes to choosing a management system: you can use a paper-based system (i.e., no digital solution), build custom software , or use an existing software solution, of which SaaS is a viable option.

These systems are not equal, and it takes detailed, careful analysis to evaluate the pros and cons of each. And usually, the final decision comes down to the cold, hard financials.

But the cold, hard financials need to be considered carefully, as well.

Rather than simply comparing the cost of using paper, commissioning software, or paying a monthly SaaS bill, it’s important to consider the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) – a key financial metric that gives insight into the direct and indirect costs of each type of system.

A TCO analysis helps you consider not just the cost you’ll pay today or this month : it will help you determine which solution will bring you the highest ROI while ensuring you remain futureproofed and flexible to your changing business needs. Ultimately, it can show you which solution gives you the best value over time and across your waste or recycling program.

Conducting a TCO Analysis for Your Organization

Every organization’s budgetary, time, and feature requirements are different, and these are factors that have to be taken into account when conducting your TCO analysis. But we’ll give you some starting points to consider when you evaluate each of these three options (paper, custom software, or SaaS) so you can determine which one holds the most value for you .

Option 1: Paper-based system

The visible costs associated with this option include:

Licensing of data management software (like Excel, SAP or IBM InfoSphere)

Office supplies (paper, ink, printer, clipboards, etc.)

Mailing costs

Salaries for data entry clerks (who manually enter the data from paper forms into the data management tool)

This is truly a get-what-you-pay-for system: while this solution seems to cost you the least in CAPEX , it also gives you the least functionality. It offers no analysis on how your business is doing (e.g. performance metrics or KPI tracking). That information has to be manually extracted from raw data – requiring time, effort, and resources. As well, there are other significant costs, including revenue leakage due to false payments (this system does the least to protect against fraud and human error) and high auditing and compliance costs every year.

In terms of flexibility , any new changes simply require more work – more time, money, and effort to address.

Option 2: Custom-built software (including creating new software or updating your existing custom solution)

When it comes to commissioning new custom software, prices can be exceedingly high: you may have to spend millions of dollars depending on the level of complexity. If you already have a custom-built solution that needs to be updated to suit new business and operational needs, you can end up spending up to 40% of the initial cost to complete the upgrade.

Here are the typical visible costs for this type of solution:

Initial development cost

Modifications and updating cost

Internal management cost (direct management requires at least 1 full-time IT professional or project manager) (recurring)

Annual hosting cost (recurring)

Annual security maintenance (recurring)

Annual modernization maintenance (recurring)

These are only the most apparent costs when you map out the creation of your custom-built software – and they are pretty high. Should later development be needed to add new features and tools to the software (#2 on the list above), the cost can become prohibitively expensive.

Companies who once opted for a custom-built solution often find themselves resigned to using outdated business practices to suit their old software; the cost to update or modify is simply too high .

Aside from what you can expect to pay, there are a host of hidden costs associated with custom-built software. These include:

The cost of waiting for the development to finish : Development time can be lengthy, even unpredictable, as it often goes on longer than initially scheduled. During this time, the software is only costing you money but is not benefitting you at all. This is unlike a SaaS offering, which you can start using right away.

Training and support: When implementing a new custom solution, training and support will be your organization’s responsibility. This task can be costly and time-consuming to take on.

Uncertainty and risk, including:

a. Operational chaos due to delays: Delays are common and uncontrollable with custom solution development or updating. With a network of organizations working with you, you cannot afford delays or missed deadlines because participants are expecting the new system by a particular date. With other solutions, like SaaS, you cannot miss development deadlines, because the solution already exists.

b. Not meeting your requirements: Having developers, especially those who have very limited knowledge of your industry, understand what you need is difficult; miscommunication is common. Unfortunately, the only way to know if custom software does what you need it to… is to pay to have it developed. Putting down a large sum of money on something you cannot see is always risky – and it is avoidable. With pre-existing SaaS solutions, you can demo the software and see whether or not it works for your organization – thereby avoiding any unnecessary uncertainty.

c. Regulatory and financial changes: developing or modifying custom software requires a large, upfront capital investment. What happens to that investment if something happens to hurt your business (such as common regulatory changes)? The sad reality is, investments are unlikely to be recouped in such a situation.

d. Low software quality and security breaches: You cannot assess the storage, stability, bugs, or security capabilities of a custom-built solution until you’ve spent a lot of money and started using it. Again, this is an unnecessary investment that could have been put towards a good quality SaaS solution that already exists and has been tested.

The reality is, many organizations will ultimately invest more money in a custom solution than they initially budgeted for. There are endless risks and uncertainties associated with this type of system. With custom software, you need to spend a lot of money upfront and put more and more money into it, with little certainty on how the software will turn out. This makes the decision to go with a custom-built solution riskier and harder to justify to directors, Boards, and other governing bodies.

Option 3: a proven SaaS solution

When you look at the pure financials, the immediate visible benefit of SaaS is cost saving . SaaS solutions typically cost a fraction of their custom-built counterparts.

Additionally, there are a host of other hidden benefits. These include:

1. Cost certainty: The monthly charge to use SaaS is pre-determined, so you know exactly how much you need to pay. This is unlike custom-built software, which can always have new, unanticipated costs.

2. Quality certainty: Because this software already exists, you can demo the SaaS solution or hear testimonials from those already using it. This helps you have confidence that the quality is worth the price before you make a purchasing decision.

3. Futureproofing & Flexibility: Since your organization is not the only one using the system, you get the most features with this type of solution. SaaS developers incorporate best practices to improve products for their wide customer base. (The software must service many different people and groups, after all.) Additionally, the SaaS company is responsible for ensuring the software is always updated – updates you neither have to worry about or pay additional fees for.

Unlike a paper-based system, SaaS offers you a host of benefits at a fair price. Unlike a custom-built solution, you do not need to spend a large sum of money upfront with SaaS. If at any point you no longer think the solution is worth it, you can simply end your subscription. This makes this option by far the most beneficial and the least risky.

One Final Resource…

After completing your own careful analysis, we’re confident you’ll find the right solution for your organization – especially one that gives you the flexibility to address any changes that come your way.

If, like us, you’re intrigued by the benefits of SaaS, we want to leave you with a final resource.

Here’s a quick criteria list to keep in your back pocket as you consider different SaaS solutions for managing your waste or recycling program. You’ll want to look for these things to find the best solution out there:

The company knows your industry and has built a tried, tested, and proven true solution that meets your needs
The product is futureproofed, flexible, and has a clear development roadmap .
The company has a solid reputation , takes partnership seriously, and you get a sense from the people you talk to that you can rely on them .
The company offers support and training to everyone in your program

A solution that provides all of this is one worth pursuing for your organization, especially as changes come your way.

MYTH 2: "Recycling Software Solutions Can’t Help"

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 09:18:38 GMT

“Software solutions are expensive, don’t do what I need them to do, take a long time to implement….and what would I gain, really?”

This is the second installment of our eight-part myth-busting series. In this series, we explore some common myths in the recycling and waste management industry, explain how these myths came about and why they persist, and share some revolutionary insights that help program managers see things in a better way.

Digital technologies seem to be taking over the waste and recycling space.

Software solutions are abundant, with all sorts of varieties to solve unique challenges in the industry. And with solutions for everything – from logistics to analytics – there's good reason to believe waste and recycling software can help to optimize every aspect of a process, program, or business.

The prevalence of these solutions should come as no surprise. Many factors are driving the need for more of these technologies: increasing amounts of waste and recycling, changing business models, more oversight that requires detailed reporting – not to mention the growing climate crisis itself. Expecting to keep up with these demands without the use of software is unrealistic; the recycling market is growing so fast, and our sustainability commitments are so large, that nothing less than digital solutions could keep up.

On top of all of this, we live in a digital age, where such solutions have become the norm for almost every industry. Software and digital technologies are playing an increasingly crucial role in the worlds of medicine, finance, engineering, and more.

As a result of how digitized our world has become, we all have at least some understanding of the benefits of digitization, such as convenience, speed, accuracy, etc. Given that we can appreciate these benefits, it may seem odd that there are still people who resist digitization.

So let’s start by understanding the mentality of that resistance – the fears and concerns, as well as the limitations of that viewpoint. Then, we’ll dive into what software can do for the recycling and waste management industry specifically.

Why We Resist the Digital

There are many surface-level reasons why organizations might resist adopting a digital solution to manage their recycling or waste program: security concerns, fear about investment costs, and lack of digital literacy are chief among them.

With many program managers focused on putting out other fires, adopting new software seems like a bottom-of-the-list priority. Waste and recycling software solutions might promise things like optimized processes and better data – but how does that help me when I'm struggling to establish my ESG initiatives, meet my compliance obligations, prove greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and landfill di version, keep my participants happy, and reconcile endless reams of paper forms?

It sounds reasonable – and it’s the reality for most organizations in the industry. But, unfortunately, this way of working betrays a problematic underlying mentality: that of data resistance.

Before we dive into what data resistance is, it’s important to state that there’s another side to the coin: program managers who resist digitization lack crucial knowledge about what digital solutions can actually do. Sure, they know generally what software purports to do – but many miss how software that helps them manage their program materially impacts their everyday work, the major issues and complications in their programs, and their bottom line. Later in this post, we’ll share that crucial knowledge.

To summarize, resistance to waste and recycling software solutions comes from a combination of digital resistance and a gap in knowledge about how digital solutions give concrete benefit to specific programs . Let’s take these one at a time.

What is Data Resistance?

*Original Source: The Evolution of the Data-Driven Company, by Christopher S Penn
https://www.christopherspenn.com/2019/08/the-evolution-of-the-data-driven-company/#:~:text=The%20evolution%20of%20a%20company,cannot%20become%20truly%20data%2Ddriven.%20February%2025,%202022,%207:06%20AM

“We’ve always done it this way.”

“Change comes with headaches.”

“It’s working so far, isn’t it?”

Perhaps you’ve heard sentiments like this at your organization – maybe you’ve even felt this way before.

These types of statements are hallmarks of data-resistant organizations, demonstrating an unwillingness to change or a complacence with the status quo.

Data-resistant organizations are those that don’t see the value in having high-quality data or fail to see the connection between issues with their data and the daily pain-points they’re dealing with .

As Christopher Penn points out in his excellent post on the evolution of data-driven companies, organizations typically begin as data-resistant for a variety of reasons, and two of these are particularly interesting:

Data might uncover hidden performance issues
Data might show the organization has a misaligned strategy

Rather than uncover more problems, sticking with the status quo seems safer and smarter.

But inevitably, the status quo reaches its limit. This usually happens when an individual at an organization needs to solve a specific performance issue , and so they begin to harness data - without waiting for an organizational mandate.

Until that happens, the organization will likely remain data-resistant – and suffer the consequences of poor quality or unharnessed data.

Let’s talk about those consequences with a real-life example.

Data Resistance in the Circular Economy
– A Real-Life Example

Prior to adopting a waste or recycling software like Diversys this is how many organizations in the industry run their programs.

It seem s simple: Once a participant (e.g., a hauler, collector, generator, etc.) complete s their step in the recycling process, they fill out a form like the ones above to record their work. These forms a re then mailed or faxed into the managing organization, who ha ve to manually enter the information into a data management tool (like Microsoft Excel or Access).

The result? Data entry errors, missing or illegible forms, delays, and time wasted trying to manually extract performance analysis from the data. At the end of the day, the data organizations garner from this method is not reliable for decision-making, performance tracking, or reporting.

Tracking methods like this are, unfortunately, all too common in the industry; many organizations track the movement of their materials with paper forms similar to this.

This type of data capture is slow, manual, error-prone, not real-time, and not centralized. It's also susceptible to fraud and security breaches.

It's pretty obvious what the problem is, isn’t it? How are we ever to get to a circular economy – let alone meet our ESG initiatives, performance goals, or GHG reduction targets - with such a system?

Now, let’s talk about the flip side. We said before that many organizations lack crucial information about what digital solutions for managing a waste or recycling program actually do for them. It’s time to shed light on what they can do.

What Digitizing Means for Your Program

To put it simply: adopting a digital solution means the difference between vaguely committing to a goal and actually measuring your progress towards it.

Digital solutions present unprecedented opportunities to:

See everything that’s happening in your program – from how much GHG reduction or landfill diversion you’ve achieved this year, to what happened with a specific material pick-up on a particular date
Report on your progress to your team, stakeholders, legislators, or the public – and provide the irrefutable proof you need to back up your claims
Secure each step of your program , while eliminating paper and related costs and delays – guaranteeing high-quality, reliable data you can use for key decision-making

As ESG initiatives grow and as public attention increasingly turns to waste and recycling programs, the opportunities are not so much “benefits” as they are absolutely necessary. Again, digitizing is the only way to meet the growing demands of the industry and to address the climate crisis.

Addressing the Elephant in the Room...

Despite this, there are many organizations that fear adopting a waste or recycling software to manage their program, because it seems like it would require a huge overhaul or disruption of their current processes – not to mention a large upfront time and monetary investment.

What to Look for in a Software Solution

When evaluating waste or recycling software solutions for your program, ask the following questions:

Can you see the solution in action today?

What business intelligence abilities does the solution offer you? Is this intelligence in real-time ? Is it easy to retrieve, understand, and parse ?

Can you see features that immediately benefit you, as well as features that might be useful down the line as your business evolves?

How does the solution actually work ? How does it ensure the integrity and security of your data ? How will you be able to retrieve your data whenever you need to? (I.e., is the solution cloud-based ?)

How experienced are the creators of the solution? Do they have both the software and industry know-how to make a great solution? Can you read testimonials from their clients?

Does the software partner treat customers as “ partners ”? Do they invite customers to give feedback on the solution – and do they work that feedback into their product roadmap?

What does the software company offer in terms of training, support, or other resources for those who will be using the new system?

This list is by no means exhaustive, but it gives you a good place to start if you’re thinking of adopting waste or recycling software for your program.

Having a no-pressure discussion with an exper t is another way to get started thinking about this. If going paperless is something you’ve been considering but you’re unsure where to start, a discussion like this can help you home in on what your requirements are and how to go about finding the right solution for you.

MYTH 1: "Change is Bad for My Recycling Program"

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 18:22:19 GMT

" My recycling program is running and performing well enough.
I don’t need to introduce changes to my world ."

This is the first installment of our eight-part myth-busting series. In this series, we explore some common myths in the recycling and waste management industry, explain how these myths came about and why they persist, and share some revolutionary insights that help program managers see things in a better way.

Change is undeniably scary, and it’s natural to resist it. We have a tendency to believe that any change, especially in the way we manage waste and recycling programs, is inherently bad – that it will come with complications, headaches, and costs that we can’t and shouldn’t tolerate.

Yet, we know, too, that change is inevitable. So why do we resist?

The reality is, these concerns aren’t completely unfounded. For many of us in the industry, change comes in the form of governmental, legislative, or regulatory compliance changes, which sometimes add complications to the way our processes work. And, in a rapidly changing industry , these changes often come without much warning, requiring us to quickly adapt.

On the other hand, you currently have a running program – and for better or worse, it’s performing at least somewhat effectively. So why introduce changes to what’s already working?

Planned Changes

Firstly, it’s important to say here, the changes that we encourage all of our clients and the organizations we advise are not the same as unexpected changes that occur without (or with little) warning and disrupt waste and recycling program processes. Planned change makes all the difference.

Even more importantly, the changes we suggest making are ones that benefit your programs – completely revolutionizing the way you work while improving your day-to-day operations and the outcome of your efforts. These are not changes that make your work harder.

Finally, with a little bit of strategizing, you can implement changes that cause the least amount of disruption to your processes so waste and recycling activities can continue even as your operations get better.

But First...

Before we dive into the specifics of those changes, let’s discuss the first part of this myth – specifically, the idea that, if a recycling program is running and performing “well enough,” you needn’t make any changes. The myth that change is bad hinges on and persists because of this idea, so it’s important that we really take the time to understand what exactly the thinking is.

Does this sound like you?

Some program managers wonder, if my program is running fine, why rock the boat?

To this, we ask: how do you know your program is running fine?

In our experience, the recycling and waste management program managers who say this are facing a host of issues that are either undiagnosed or known but aren’t being dealt with – usually because the program managers are busy putting out other fires that are prioritized higher, and so "running fine" is good enough.

These issues are numerous and vary depending on the organization, but some common issues are:

Using paper forms to track waste and recycling activities, like pick-ups and drop-offs . Mistakes, missing/illegible/incomplete forms, delays, and ridiculous amounts of paper are the result.
Not having visibility on what’s currently happening in the field. Usually this means that the organization is using paper forms or outdated software to record activities, both of which come with delays, errors, and the potential for fraud.
No easy way of seeing how you’re performing against your targets and goals. Most organizations use paper forms in combination with a data management tool, like Excel. Both of these introduce the potential for human error. They also mean that your analysis or KPI tracking has to be manually calculated, which takes time (not to mention, it may be based on faulty information). With looming deadlines and legislatively-mandated targets to be met, most organizations cannot afford the delay or the risk of error.

Don’t be alarmed if this sounds like your program. It’s quite common – and thankfully, there IS a solution . More on that later.

The High Cost of a “Good Enough” Recycling Program

Complicated as each of these issues is, though, they all ultimately boil down to one single issue.

Ultimately, what is the result of an incomplete or imperfectly operating program? Poor data.

When you don’t know exactly what is happening in your recycling program, when you can’t trust the information you’re getting from your activities to be 100% reliable, your program and the entire industry suffer. How?

Very simply: unreliable data coming in from “the field” (meaning, the people doing the actual work of collecting and processing recyclables and waste) means organizations are reporting on their activities unreliably, means legislation is built around faulty data, means we don’t know how well we’re actually moving towards a circular economy – and, in fact, we don’t even know what this industry is truly capable of.

And that’s just the high-level issue with unreliable data. There’s also a way that unreliable data affects the day-to-day work of program managers.

Let’s look at a concrete and common example.

If a recycling organization, for instance, knows they have to collect, haul, and process a certain tonnage of recyclables by December 31, they need to know continually throughout the year where they are against that goal so they can adjust and make sure they’re on track to meet their target. This is the reality for many of our recycling and waste management organizations.

It’s unfortunately all too common for organizations to struggle and scramble to figure out how they’re performing against their targets, goals, and KPIs , and it gets expensive (from both a time and cost perspective) to get the answer.

This is just one example, but as you can see, there are practical problems caused by poor, incomplete, unreliable, and unwieldy data. This is why a program that “could be better but is still running” is simply not “good enough.” These problems are making the work of those in the waste and recycling management industry harder, while also ultimately negatively impacting legislation and our ability to get to a zero-waste world.

Adapting to a New Way of Thinking

To confront this myth, we need a paradigm shift.

By shifting the way we think, we can stop fearing change – and instead start actively seeking changes that will help our programs do more, and better.

That new way of thinking starts with some careful self-evaluation. This helps us assess where we truly are today, what’s working and what isn’t, and how we can take the simple steps that lead to better-run programs and good data.

How Do You Know Your Program is Running “Well Enough”?

We’ve compiled some questions to help you start thinking about your program in a new way. These questions are by no means exhaustive, but we highly suggest pausing to consider each one carefully before moving on. Doing so can help you start the paradigm shift that leads to positive change.

1. Do you have confidence in your ability to track the flow of your materials easily and in real time?

The “real-time” component of this question is key, as delays in receiving data add complications and errors.

As well, when we ask “can you do this easily ,” we really do mean easily. Compiling banker's boxes full of paper does not make tracking easy. If this is the approach you take, consider how a few positive changes might save you time and effort.

2. Are all your in-field activities visible to you right away?

Do you know activities are taking place as they happen (or immediately after they happen)? Or does it take you days, weeks, or months to reconcile the activities that took place with the data you have?

Really stop to consider how this affects your relationship with your data . Can you trust it to be consistently reliable at all times? If not, how confident are you in making business decisions based on that data?

3. Can you easily manage your relationships with your service providers?

These are also called “participants” in some programs, and refer to collectors, haulers, processors, generators, etc. (Different programs use different terms.) Is it easy to calculate payments or incentive rates based on different geographic locations or types of participants? Are there delays in payment because you receive their reports or activities late?

Each of these participants plays an important role in your process, and your relationship with them is crucial to the success of your program. If your processes are causing you to compromise on those relationships, it’s definitely time for some positive change.

4. Can you fully trust your data and rely on it to make major decisions for your business?

This is one of the most important questions to ask yourself. What safeguards do you have in place to avoid fraud, errors, and security breaches ?

Where and how often in your process do these safeguards apply? That’s important, because if you’re not careful about getting uncompromised data right from the beginning - right as your participants are reporting on their work - you’ve already allowed uncertainty and unreliability into your process. This, of course, compromises your data.

If this sounds familiar, change is not only highly recommended – it's required.

5. Are you sure you’ll meet your performance or recovery targets for this month, quarter, or year?

How do you know? And how easy is it for you to get to an answer?

Excited for Change (Or At Least Open to It)? Simple Next Steps

Now that you’ve taken some time to evaluate your waste or recycling program and ask yourself some crucial questions, what’s next?

The first step is simply taking the time to understand the value in digitizing your program , especially if your current processes are entirely paper-reliant. (See? We promised the steps were simple.)

To many, “digitizing” sounds intimidating, costly, and time-consuming. It also sounds like “not my area of expertise.”

The reality is, digitizing saves you big-time – in both apparent and hidden time and money costs. And with the right solution, the disruption to your operations is minimal; a good partner will help you implement a new solution so that you can continue working through the transition.

Since the industry is constantly changing, legislation is being adopted across the globe at record speed, and businesses are growing rapidly, a digital solution for managing your program gives you the flexibility you need to adapt quickly despite change.

The second step is to subscribe to CYCLES now, so you can get even more insights into myths like this one and truth just behind the curtain.