How to classify waste data for reporting at the gatehouse
Assessing the source of waste at waste facilities and landfills is mandatory under the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Regulations, which means that all waste facilities need to be able to capture accurate data at their gatehouse.
Under these regulations, all liable people and organisations are required to record and report waste and recycling data annually to the CEO of the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.
The different streams of waste
Municipal solid waste (MSW):
Solid waste generated from domestic (residential) premises and local government activities.
Commercial and industrial waste (C&I):
Waste that is produced by institutions and businesses, including offices, schools, restaurants, retail and wholesale businesses, and industries such as manufacturing. Also includes waste from primary and secondary production, such as mining and minerals processing.
Construction and demolition waste:
Waste produced by demolition and building activities, including road and rail construction and maintenance, and excavation of land associated with construction activities.
How to classify waste stream source
1) Where possible, loads of waste will be classified according to the source stream from which most of the waste has originated. For example, a load of residual waste from a materials recovery facility which mostly sorts waste from kerbside collections would be classified as MSW, not C&I.
2) Mixed loads will be classified according to the primary waste stream of the load.
3) Waste from natural disasters will be classified as C&D.
4) C&D recycling facilities may assume all waste delivered to their premises for processing is from the C&D waste stream.
Simple guide to classifying waste stream source
Using the above definitions and principles, this simple guide can be used at the gatehouse to classify the waste stream source:
Example #1:
Trucks with loads mostly consisting of waste originally collected from the kerbside, bulk household (vergeside) and public place collections.
Waste stream source: MSW
Example #2:
Loads mostly consisting of construction waste (bricks, concrete, timber, asphalt, sand, etc.)
Waste Stream Source: C&D
Example #3:
Loads of pallets and packaging from construction projects (commercial and residential properties).
Waste Stream Source: C&D
Example #4:
Loads of pallets and packaging from commercial or industrial products.
Waste Stream Source: C&I
Example #5:
All other loads self-hauled by a resident
Waste Stream Source: MSW
Example #6:
Loads from natural disaster clean-ups
Waste Stream Source: C&D
Issues and difficulties
Potential issues faced by waste facilities at the gatehouse is the potential inability to keep up-to-date records. These facilities are often remote or rural, which means there might not be a reliable internet connection to keep data saved properly.
Cooee Data was created as our experienced consultants in the waste industry saw the need for a way to accurately report AND store data on the waste streams coming through the gatehouse.
Cooee’s app was designed to enable personnel at waste facility gatehouses to keep accurate data entry regardless of whether there is an accurate internet connection. As waste loads enter, real-time data can be recorded and collected at the gatehouse on our app.
This information is usually uploaded to your dashboard automatically when there is an internet connection, but in the scenario where there is no internet connection, this information is kept and stored safely until there is an accurate internet connection. When connected, the data that was previously collected is automatically added to the cloud management system.