Uncovering Hidden Waste: The Importance of Hourly Data in Office Waste Reduction

What You Measure You Can Manage

Achieving ambitious sustainability goals like zero waste is a challenge, but it’s not an impossible one. For organisations striving to reduce waste, the key to success lies in the quality and detail of the data they use. Traditionally, waste data has been limited to monthly reports from waste management providers or daily weight measurements from basic scales. While any data is better than none, this high-level approach often fails to capture the nuances that can drive meaningful waste reduction.

Daily data gives a high-level view, but it’s often too general to uncover specific patterns or issues that can lead to waste reduction. This is where hourly data comes in. With Method InSight, we’ve revolutionised the way organisations track and manage waste by providing hourly data on individual waste bins. This allows businesses to pinpoint precisely when waste spikes occur, identifying inefficiencies that would have otherwise gone unnoticed.

In this article, we’ll explore how Microsoft ANZ used hourly waste data to uncover a hidden problem, take action, and reduce waste by 100 kg annually at just one site. Illustrating how granular data can transform waste management practices and support organisations on their journey toward zero waste.

Case Study: Microsoft Perth

Method began working with Microsoft ANZ in 2021 as they worked towards Microsoft’s goal of Zero Waste by 2030. Microsoft was rolling out Method InSight to measure their waste streams in real time. What they didn’t expect was that the data would reveal a waste problem they hadn’t even noticed.

Here is the data we collected for the Microsoft Perth Office presented as a daily total:

Looking at this data as a daily stream total nothing seems out of the ordinary, the landfill stream is higher than we’d like, but this is early in their journey. Largely these streams are within their expected distribution. But when you break this down into hourly data, things start to get interesting.

Spotting the Problem

Looking at the Hourly Office Waste Data (Graph 2), we noticed a consistent spike in organic waste every Monday morning. This was no small increase – a 1-2 kg jump in organic waste every week. Naturally, the team wondered: What was causing this unexpected uptick?

Reaching out to the Microsoft Perth office manager they were able to identify that the regular organics dump was due to cleaners disposing of excess fruit from the previous week. The office provides fruit for the team, but not all of it was consumed in time. As a result, perfectly edible food was being wasted every Monday morning.

This was a problem that could easily have gone unnoticed without the hourly data. The daily summaries wouldn’t have shown this spike, and the issue might have continued unchecked.

Taking Action

Once Microsoft identified the issue, they were able to act quickly. By reducing their fruit orders and better matching the quantities to actual consumption, they avoided ordering excess fruit. The result? A reduction of 100 kg of fruit waste per year at just one site.

This change not only saved valuable resources but also contributed to Microsoft’s broader sustainability goals. What began as a small adjustment in fruit ordering ended up having a significant environmental impact and they saved a bit on the fruit budget too!

Impact of Hourly Data on Zero Waste Goals

This case demonstrates the power of detailed, hourly waste data. By capturing and analyzing waste streams on a granular level, organizations can uncover inefficiencies they weren’t aware of. Whether it’s excess food waste, underutilised recycling bins, or other issues, the insights provided by hourly data can directly inform smarter, more sustainable decisions.

For organisations committed to zero waste, hourly data is essential. It allows businesses to track specific waste patterns, uncover hidden problems, and make adjustments that have a direct impact on their overall waste footprint. Over time, they can see the impact of these activities in their InSight data.

Hourly waste data is a key to unlocking smarter, more sustainable waste management practices. By leveraging data at this level of detail, Microsoft Perth was able to uncover a problem, take meaningful action, and reduce fruit waste by 100 kg annually. This small but impactful change is just one example of how hourly data can drive real, measurable progress toward zero waste.

At Method, we’re committed to helping organizations use data to reduce waste, make smarter decisions, and create a more sustainable future. If you’re ready to take the next step in your waste journey, hourly data could be the game-changer you need.