It is an old adage that if you can’t count it, you don’t have it. Before Recyclesoft there was simply no way to simply and accurately put numbers to almost any, even local recycling streams without a lot of effort (and cost). In certain jurisdictions, California for example, universal waste is subject to strict regulation, violation of which involves heavy fines. Fear of such regulation and the reporting requirements to avoid the associated penalties has led to huge sums being spent on compliance.

There are usually multiple stages to final disposition for even the most seemingly mundane universal waste. Take something as simple as a lithium ion battery (of which there are a lot). Initially there is the generator (the organization disposing of the batteries). They have to be able to produce a Bill of Lading with at least an estimated weight signed by both the shipper and the consignee. When the consignee gets the batteries they will weigh everything in. Not the estimated weight becomes an actual weight (for billing purposes if estimated at pickup). The batteries are added to others from other generators. Eventually, the consignee will ship the collected batteries to their upstream processor which involves another Bill of Lading. The original generator needs to be able to show that the batteries on the original BOL were included in the upstream shipment. This continues through as many steps as it takes to what is called ‘Final Disposition’. This is a lot of very expensive paperwork but it can be far worse if you don’t have it.