Waste Classification – Requirements

Monday, 29th May 2023 

Summary: 

This round of industry engagement is on the process of waste classification; how industry identifies, analyses, classifies and assigns waste codes to waste. The project team conducted six 1:1 sessions with industry this round to get a thorough understanding of current industry processes and inform the requirements to design an intuitive online platform to support accurate and easy waste classification. The summary of the sprint focus and findings from 1:1 interviews are captured below.  

The video below provides a recording of the slide presentation.  

Key Takeaways From 1:1 Sessions: 

• Varying knowledge of waste codes in industry. Receival facilities are typically the most experienced in classifying waste, some generators and facilities are experienced in one or two waste types but are generally not as knowledgeable so more at risk of recording wrong waste codes 
• To facilitate generators finding and entering the correct waste consider only providing generators with direction to appropriate industry rather than a code 
• Truck drivers are not always able to check waste codes, this means receival facility can be faced with waste they can’t accept or must reissue a revised tracking certificate
• Some generators use transporters not licensed to transport the waste
• Different states have different waste codes for same waste and sometimes waste is trackable in certain states and not others which can make the process confusing
• Overall, highly positive reaction to a public website that has a waste code wizard and operator search tool. Industry proposed the following considerations:
  • Public website: simple user experience for truck drivers - “The site has to be easy to use. Our drivers aren’t that techy and get overwhelmed with entering a lot of information on one screen, plus they get frustrated if they can’t select things on the screen easily” 
  • Waste code wizard: ability for to select/save most frequently used codes, guidelines on safety care/risks, synonyms for different types of waste to aid search, questions around nature of waste, where it’s from, whether it’s lab tested
  • Operator search tool: ability to search for operator by waste code, include inputs like contact details, services, waste codes, states/cities, license details, opening times 

Have your say: 

Please take the time to provide your insights as industry experts on your experience with waste classification. This quick survey will capture your feedback to inform the platform development