Introduction to Waste Surveys with the WATS tool

Summary

WATS offers a simple and easy to use waste surveying tool for offices, buildings or any business type.

Access is easy via a custom QR code and set up can be as simple as one conversation with our customer success team.

What are they?

Waste surveys unlock the blackbox of waste data by giving you and your team an easy way to calculate the waste your company generates yourself!

Waste Surveys are a critical tool for understanding and reducing waste within your operations, and paying only for what you generate. Through direct measurement—either by visual assessment or using an on-site scale—these surveys provide concrete data on the amount and types of waste your site or office generates. This article guides you through conducting effective waste surveys using WATS’s tools, understanding your results, and leveraging this data to enhance operational efficiencies and sustainability efforts.

Conducting Waste Surveys

1. Setup: Work with your a WATS Client Success Manager to understand your waste operations flows and decide which stages would be best to run surveys on. You’ll also decide the survey type (visual assessment via Fill Level or Count, or Weight measurements).

   

2. Data Collection: Deploy our mobile-friendly survey tool with your waste operations teams to record waste data.

   WATS Survey Tool

3. Submission: Once completed, survey results are automatically received on WATS for use as a Waste Data Source. You can conduct these surveys at regular intervals to track waste generation over time, and WATS can extrapolate daily data to generate a high confidence assessment of waste generation.

Viewing Results Immediately after submission, your survey results will be available on our platform. Navigate to the Surveys page to view detailed breakdowns of waste types and quantities.

Aggregating Data for Insights WATS also enables you to use this Survey data to compare across different sites and time frames. Head to your Metrics overview page and select ‘Surveys’ to:

• Track changes and trends in your waste generation over time.
• Access visual representations, such as graphs and charts, for easier data comprehension.
• Compare waste generation between different operational sites.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of waste reduction strategies across your portfolio.
• Identify opportunities for recycling, composting, and other waste diversion strategies.

Using Insights for Operational Improvements Leverage the insights gained from your waste surveys to:

• Identify high-waste areas and processes within your operations.
• Develop targeted waste reduction strategies.