In the latest episode of our NothingWasted! Podcast, we bring you a dynamic session from WasteExpo 2019: “New Data—Who Dis? What Data Collection Can Do for You.”

The discussion features Emily Coven, founder of Recyclist; Chris Ronson, senior sales and marketing manager for Re-TRAC; Joe Romuno, director of national accounts for Great Forest; and Brian Yorston, national director of the Environmental Group at Rehrig Pacific Company.

“In 2019, the world is our oyster,” notes Coven. “As long as we have enough time and resources, we could collect any data and do anything with it. So, it becomes a philosophical question of, ‘what do we want to collect, and what’s valuable to us?’ Within the waste industry, there’s been a lot of progress recently—better collection, better processing, making everything so much more efficient.”

She also notes that there is a data collection opportunity on the generation side and points out how she’s working on this issue. “To use data to look at where waste is being generated in the first place, and how can that be improved? To help increase diversion, keep things out of landfills and more. Thinking about using data to change behavior is something the industry could significantly benefit from,” she says.

Listen to the full session below and listen to more episodes here.