Waste recycling worker

Ep 31. The opportunities of data in waste management, Peter Hutt

Waste management may not always get a reputation as a glamorous or innovative area of public sector and local authority management, but there are huge opportunities yet to be achieved; much of it involving data science and digital technology.

On Episode 31 of PSE’s Public Sector Voices podcast, we sat down with Peter Hutt, Environment Manager at OpenSky Data Systems, who specialises in helping local authorities realise this potential. And for him, the impacts are often able to felt far beyond the waste management team.

“It’s very much something that’s been part of the waste team’s remit to look at their data and to use it where they can, even if it’s not always recognised because you can see it fairly easily if you have a look. Down to the basic, ‘Oh it’s the summer, we have more people flocking to our beaches, so we need more trucks to empty the waste bins’.

“Data has always been part of it, even when they don’t recognise it themselves.

“The collection of the detailed waste data, the movement from one place to another, gives them a big resource that they could use for planning; and not just for their own planning, but for the planning of other parts of the council.

“For themselves, it’s looking at how valuable would an extra incinerator be for us, in our waste stream, or do we need another recycling centre because we have a big population building up in this area.

“But there’s other parts of the council that could also benefit from the waste data. If you consider the planning department for the new buildings and houses. If we can model what an increase of 5,000 extra people in a particular area looks like in terms of waste, we can look at that and say ‘here is what that would look like if the houses were all semi-detached, here is what it is like if it’s all high-rise. Here is what it looks like if you have 10 acres of green space, and here if you only have five acres.

“It can build into the planning processes as well, so it’s not just restricted to the waste team which would use this data.”

To learn more insights, listen to the full episode with Peter below…

Public Sector Executive, Feb/March, Cover

PSE Feb/March, 23

Greater choice, greater results

Our February/March 2023 edition of PSE brings you expert comment and analysis on a range of key public sector topics, from EV infrastructure to Digital transformation and reducing carbon emissions. Learn how the UK Government is investing in highway and freight innovation or read Cllr Matthew Hicks discuss the first step towards an exciting future for Suffolk, alongside so much more…

Videos...

View all videos
#PSE365: Public Sector Decarbonisation

Be A Part Of It!

PSE365: Public Sector Decarbonisation Virtual Event | 21 Mar 2023

PSE has created a full calendar of events to address the most important issues that influence the delivery of public sector services. 

Over 365 days you’ll have the opportunity to hear from a range of highly motivating, informative and inspirational speakers. These speakers will equip you with knowledge and unique insight to enable you to overcome the challenges that you face.

Industry Survey

What are the biggest issues facing the Public Sector?

 Public Sector Executive is undergoing some in-depth research around the issues the Public Sector is facing and the importance of deploying and using new technology within Public Sector organisations. 

We are asking for your help to better understand how public sector organisations are utilising technology to support their digital strategy and your opinion on what the biggest issues facing the public sector are.

This survey only takes a couple of minutes to complete and to thank you for your time and for filling out our survey, we'll enter you into a prize draw to win a £50 Amazon voucher.

In order to assist public sector organisations with improving their existing technology estate, we hope to leverage our findings to share best practises and innovations across the public sector.

More articles...

View all