Accurately tracking and reporting waste data over time provides facilities and stakeholders with detailed insight into opportunities for improvement. If data is not accurate, this limits the ability to understand a facility’s wastes and identify the specific actions that will help reduce environmental impacts and drive efficiencies.
When establishing a waste tracking and reporting program, the following principles should be applied:
- Completeness – The tracking and reporting program should include all relevant sources. Sources should not be excluded from data tracking and reporting should be based on materiality (e.g., small quantity exceptions).
- Accuracy – Ensure that the data input into the waste tracking program is accurate and is derived from credible sources (e.g., calibrated scales, invoices, established scientific measurement principles or engineering estimates, etc.).
- Consistency – Use consistent methodologies to track waste data that allows for comparisons of waste quantities over time. If there are any changes in the tracking methods, waste sources, or other operations that impact waste data, this should be documented.
- Transparency – All data sources (e.g., invoices, weighing records, etc.), assumptions used (e.g., estimation techniques), and calculation methodologies should be disclosed in data inventories and be readily verifiable via documented records and supporting evidence.
- Data Quality Management – Quality assurance activities (internal or external data quality checks) should be defined and performed on waste data as well as the processes used to collect and track data to ensure reported data is accurate.