Skip to main content
Looking for the dashboard reference instead? See Waste analytics. For common questions, jump to the FAQ below.
Waste is a first-class commodity in Nectar, tracked alongside electricity, gas, and water. Because every organization tracks waste differently — different haulers, materials, containers, and reporting categories — waste needs a little setup before your data flows cleanly. This page explains how waste data is structured, what to configure during onboarding, how to keep it healthy over time, and what you can analyze.

​
How Nectar structures waste data

Unlike electricity or gas, waste is a spot-delivery commodity: it is hauled away on specific pickup dates rather than metered continuously. Each pickup or disposal record is captured and separated along several independent dimensions so you can slice your data later:
DimensionWhat it meansExample
Waste typeThe material being disposed ofCardboard, organics, mixed solid waste
Waste streamHow that material is processed or where it ends upLandfill, recycled, composted, donated
SiteThe facility the waste came fromDistribution center #4
HaulerThe waste provider on the billRepublic Services, Waste Management
ContainerThe dumpster or bin, with its size and units6 cubic yard dumpster
Each waste type carries a density value, which lets Nectar convert volume-based pickups (for example, cubic yards) into a common mass unit (pounds or tons) so mixed-unit data is comparable across haulers and sites. A mapping rule connects a waste type to a waste stream. Mapping rules can be scoped three ways, and the most specific match wins:
  • Company-wide — applies everywhere (for example, “Cardboard → Recycled”).
  • Per hauler — applies only to records from one waste provider.
  • Per site — applies only to one facility, so the same material can route to a different stream where local processing differs.
This is what powers your diversion rate and lets the same material follow different paths depending on where it was generated.

​
Setting up waste tracking

1

Make sure your sites exist

Create your sites first so each waste account maps to the right facility. Including the service address on uploads or in the connection helps Nectar match records to the correct site.
2

Configure your waste types and streams

In Settings > Company > Waste, review the waste types and streams. Nectar starts you with a default set — most organizations only track a handful of materials, so trim the list to the types you actually report on and add any that are missing. Define the streams that match your reporting framework (for example, landfill, recycling, composting, donation/reuse).
3

Map types to streams

Add mapping rules so every waste type resolves to a stream. Start with company-wide rules, then add per-hauler or per-site overrides only where processing differs. The coverage summary on the waste settings page flags any unmapped types or untyped containers so you know what is left.
4

Get your waste data into Nectar

Add a waste connection using a hauler portal login where one is available, or upload invoices, manifests, and spreadsheets directly under Uploads. You do not need an online hauler account — PDFs and spreadsheets work fine. Nectar pulls as much history as the source provides (typically 12–24 months).
5

Optional: add container details per hauler

When a hauler bills by container service rather than weight, add the container name, size, and units to that connection (see Custom container). This is per-hauler context you layer on after the data is in — Nectar uses it to estimate quantity, for example a 4 cubic yard dumpster picked up 4 times in a month is 16 cubic yards. Track containers of different sizes separately; do not combine them.

​
Ongoing monitoring

Once waste is set up, a few surfaces help you keep the data trustworthy as new bills arrive:
  • Coverage summary — The waste settings page shows unmapped waste types and untyped containers at a glance, with quick actions to fix each.
  • Unmapped indicators — Records without a waste type appear as Unknown, and types without a stream appear as Unmapped. Both are excluded from waste analytics until resolved, so clearing them keeps your numbers complete.
  • Completeness — Because waste is spot-delivery, a month counts as complete as long as at least one pickup exists; a month with zero pickups is flagged as missing. This avoids false gaps for sites that are serviced once a month.
  • Data quality issues — New waste bills are checked automatically, and anything ambiguous is surfaced for review rather than silently misclassified.
As Nectar processes new bills, it classifies materials automatically and learns from any corrections you make, so classification improves over time. Open Analytics > Waste to explore your data. The Waste analytics page gives you:
  • Three views — Total, By waste stream, and By waste type.
  • A composition breakdown (share of the mix) and a trend chart over time.
  • Headline metrics: total waste, diversion rate, and bill count.
  • Filtering by date range and site.
Because every record is separated by type, stream, site, hauler, and container, you can answer questions like “what is our landfill diversion rate by site this year?” or “how has our recycling tonnage trended since we switched haulers?” — and the classification stays consistent as you add facilities.

​
Frequently asked questions

All waste configuration lives under Settings > Company > Waste. From there you can add, edit, and remove waste types and streams, and create mapping rules scoped company-wide, per hauler, or per site.
Yes. Most organizations only track a few materials. On the waste settings page, delete the default types you don’t report on and add any that are missing, then map the ones you keep to the right streams.
Open the meter, expand the waste details in the edit form, and choose a more specific waste type. If no existing type matches, create a new one under Settings > Company > Waste first, then assign it. The waste stream is derived automatically from your mapping rules.
A record shows as Unknown when it has no waste type, and Unmapped when it has a type but no stream. Both are left out of waste analytics until resolved. Use the coverage summary on the waste settings page to assign the missing type or add a mapping rule.
Many haulers bill by container service rather than weight. When you enter container details (name, size, and units) on the connection, Nectar multiplies the container size by the number of pickups to estimate the quantity, then uses the waste type’s density to express it in a common mass unit.
Either works. Use a hauler portal login for automatic ongoing collection where one is available, or upload invoices, manifests, and spreadsheets directly. Many waste providers do not offer portals, so direct uploads are common and fully supported.
The diversion rate is the share of waste kept out of landfill — recycling, composting, donation, and reuse divided by total waste. Because you define your own streams and mapping rules, you can model them to match the categories your reporting framework expects, including separating diverted vs disposed and hazardous vs non-hazardous materials.
Waste is a spot-delivery commodity, so Nectar marks a month complete when at least one pickup exists. See Data completeness for how this differs from continuously metered commodities like electricity.
See also: Waste analytics, Connections, Data completeness, Glossary — Waste, Glossary — Waste diversion