Use of apps could save waste industry millions

Waste management companies could save thousands of pounds if they invest in mobile phones that can hold their data instead of relying on paper, an expert has claimed.

Indeed, head of workforce management application MyMobileWorkers, Graham Whistance, who is also a member of the Environment Agency business advisory group for the national electronic duty of care (EDOC) programme has asserted that businesses could save more than £12 million per year by using mobile phones.

Waste management companies collectively produce around 23 million waste transfer notes, according to the Environment Agency (EA).

Not only is this harmful to the environment, it is a costly procedure, especially when one takes into account that around 50 million pieces of paper are stored in filing cabinets and boxes within the waste industry.

The law denotes that waste management companies must transport their waste without harming the environment, letsrecycle.com reports.

Because of this, the companies are duty bound to fill waste transfer notes to show the waste is properly disposed of and keep the record for two years.

However, according to Mr Whistance, there is no reason that this can’t be done electronically - saving the company time and money, while protecting the environment.

He said: "If all of the 23 million waste transfer notes were recorded on the MyMobileWorkers app, we predict it could potentially save £12 million in a year. This breaks down into saving £2.3 million a year on paper, £8m in the administration time to process the jobs onto a computer and another £2 million in allowing 10 per cent for inputting errors."

He added: "Waste companies need to be a step ahead of the game now because the benefits of digital waste transfer notes are clear - being able to collect real time data on waste movements, for improved data capture and for auditing purposes - all resulting in less administration time."