The Shoalhaven region is a beautiful tourist destination in NSW. With its temperate coastal climate and numerous bays, lakes, rivers and national parks, the area has many environmentally sensitive zones as well as a growing population to contend with when planning waste management strategy.
Waste Profile
10 sites (7 transfer stations, 3 landfills)
In addition to this the council run 3 administration modules and 1 contractor-run administration office
All operate the Mandalay system
Data Streamlining and Amalgamation
At one time, all 10 sites in Shoalhaven’s waste management operation ran differently. Some sites were run by third party contractors, some by council, and across all sites the level and type of data acquisition varied (from paper to software and in between). When Shoalhaven took over from their third party contractor and amalgamated operations, Mandalay was engaged to aggregate each site’s data to provide an enterprise-wide view of their waste and recycling behaviour.
This project involved an analysis of waste categories and definitions between sites to establish consistent data sets to be captured. Existing pre-amalgamation data was also integrated into the new database. The new system successfully streamlined Shoalhaven’s waste management operations and meant that council received their data first hand, rather than receiving second hand data manipulated by the contractor (a situation that created huge contractual and accountability issues). The system allowed Shoalhaven to view live data and model it on an operational level while also permitting site-specific data management and reporting.
http://www.shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au/
Industry: Local Council Waste Management
EPA Reporting and Levy Calculations
In addition to internal reporting requirements Shoalhaven must provide monthly waste reports to the EPA under Section 88 of the “Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997”. They pay a waste and environment levy applicable to all licensed landfills in regulated areas of NSW and must also provide a yearly waste data report.
Accurate and easily accessible data is critical for these reports, as the EPA rigidly enforces these regulations and can charge a daily fine for every day past the due date that the report is not lodged. When levies run into hundreds of thousands of dollars, this is a costly fee. Data must be accurate because reporting incorrect figures to the EPA could mean costly overcharging.
Ability to manage data at a central location is critical for Shoalhaven as it allows managers to quality control to ensure every entry is accurate. Live data means that it can’t be manipulated, and operator errors are reduced and easily picked up.
