How Data Drives Progress

In this Wastelabs Insights Series, we want to talk about some of the lessons learnt from our client engagements in the Waste Management sector.

This lesson is about Data and how it drives Behaviour.

Since early 2000s, data availability within Waste Management has improved by leaps and bounds. Today, waste managers collect GPS records of their trucks, weight and composition of the waste that they collect and process, and many more inputs. However, there is more to data management than data collection.

Operational inefficiencies can easily be inferred from the collected data. Waste optimisation tools have become more adept at gathering such insights even with limited data.

For example, we use client’s data and our proprietary data sets to create a digital twin of their existing waste system or a service area. This is a sneak peek to the waste producers and infrastructure map that we built for Singapore.

Understanding their data helps waste management companies to shift from just collecting waste to saving on collection costs and delivering a better service.

Here are some of the improvements that become possible with a proper data interpretation and a bit of AI:

• Reducing the number of vehicles, crew and overtimes.
• Making service delivery consistent in time.
• Switching to more appropriate vehicle types, bins and other technologies.
• Lastly, opt for dynamic planning to cater to the unforeseen obstacles while still getting the collection job done.

Waste Industry has been making big investments in technology to collect more data. It is the right time to unlock its full potential and get the payback.