Pocket PC Solutions for Waste Management

In the last few months my team has been involved in a number of different Waste Management projects using Pocket PC computers. I would not have predicted this industry as a niche market for mobile solutions. Let me briefly outline the problem and solution.

The European Community has passed a series of laws regulating the handling and disposal of waste and recyclable materials. I also read in the newspaper last week that the state of Maine has recently passed similar laws. Waste producers must have an audit trail or documented "chain of custody" of their waste from origin to disposal. They must maintain records of the amount, and type of waste, when it was picked up by a trucking company and delivered to a collection facility, and ultimately delivered to the final disposal company. This audit trail involves a lot of paper and must be available for access by government agencies that audit this process.

The waste collecting trucking companies need to collect data at the site of the waste pick-up, and they have been seeking a good solution to this paper headache.

The solution involves handheld PDAs using MobileDataforce's PointSync that are integrated to a Waste Management applications in the office. This Waste Management application is often web enabled to allow the waste producer to view their "pick-up reports" for auditing purposes in near real-time.

The value of this applications goes beyond just data collection efficiencies provided to the waste collecting trucking companies. The value is in keeping an electronic chain of custody record that is accessible to all participants in near real time.