Waste management companies are trusted to collect and transport waste, subject it to the required treatment processes, dispose of it in a suitably compliant manner and keep accurate records to support their client’s auditing requirements.

But a lack of oversight in a system that is vulnerable to human error and mismanagement does little for a waste generator’s peace of mind, says Eugene Barnard, head of healthcare at Averda South Africa.

“The mandated duty of care and record keeping for hazardous waste presents significant difficulty to medical institutions who consign various stages of the disposal process to external service providers,” he says.

As with most sectors, technology’s impact has been transformative. Barnard says Averda has designed and developed a tracking system which could well prove to be a game changer for waste producers and those tasked with disposing of it in a responsible and ethical manner.

The global waste management company’s TruTrak is an innovative waste management system that gives clients access to automated waste tracking and record keeping capabilities via an online customer portal – what he believes is first to market in South Africa.

Devlin Palm, GM of Averda South Africa, says the system is being extensively tested which has so far yielded positive results.

“We are currently cascading the technology from one testbed to multiple instances to stress test the system.

“In this process we have seen the brilliance of single components of the system in isolated use where, for instance, the CCTV component has helped in identifying dishonest operator behaviour and the vehicle tracking system has been utilised to lock vehicles down where dishonesty has been investigated. This has immediately galvanised and improved operator behaviour,” says Palm.

As stipulated in the Proposed National Health Care Risk Waste Management Regulations (2018), the person in charge of a health establishment must ensure that health care waste is handled, collected, transported, removed, treated and disposed of in such a manner that it does not pose a risk to human health and the environment. To monitor for compliance, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) requires that waste generators keep detailed records on the waste management chain.

The system also captures key data more accurately than what is currently the case with manual inputting.

“We have also seen an eradication of weight recording errors as the automation of recorded weights onto an electronic document negates the need for manual inputs,” says Palm.

“Our customers are highly risk averse, and our pilot client, with whom the test is being undertaken is monitoring the test closely. We are running the accepted (old) manual pen on paper in parallel to the TruTrak solution, and once we have their validation will make a full switch.”

Averda believes the TruTrak system will “allow the waste generators unprecedented direct access into a live platform to follow their waste from cradle to grave”.

Palm says: “It will close all grey trust areas down. It will, at no additional cost from additional consultant service providers, provide our customers with real-time volume data and expedite their cost analysis, eliminating the costs they are incurring to do this now.

“With this technology we will finally move away from the archaic barcoding regime, fraught with high labour requirements and therefore the large and intensive management control inputs which accompany them.”