P&L to provide waste software for Sulo weighing systems

Sulo is fitting waste containers with microchips to allow identification details and collection times to be recorded along with the weight of materials collected when bins are weighed on vehicles fitted with its system.

” One-size-fits-all payment schemes don't work any more. They're not transparent, they don't tell you about the organisation’s waste management needs and they don't reward efficiency.“
– Julie Emery-Priest, P&L; Software
Peter Gardner, P&L; managing director, said: “What Sulo required was a robust, reliable, user-friendly system to collect, record and process the data. We've got a long track record in that.

Pay-by-weight systems are becoming increasingly important in the industrial and commercial waste sectors, as costs for waste disposal and charging rise, P&L; said.

Marketing director Julie Emery-Priest said: “One-size-fits-all payment schemes don't work any more. They're not transparent, they don't tell you about the organisation’s waste management needs and they don't reward efficiency.”

The Sulo system, using P&L; Software to process data, means clients can be charged either by bin volume and the number of times the bin is emptied, or by actual refuse weight.

Municipal
P&L; software has already been used by local authorities including Bradford, Norwich and Plymouth to monitor household waste and recycling.

Some believe “pay by weight” systems are on the way in the municipal waste stream, although environment secretary Margaret Beckett has ruled out householders paying for their waste collections by weight, preferring the “carrot” rather than the “stick” approach to encouraging recycling.

The government is, however, funding trials for councils to provide financial incentives for householders to recycle their waste, trials which are expected to take place from the beginning of October (see letsrecycle.com story).

Oxfordshire-based P&L; offers to install, run and maintain their “Integrated Waste System” software, and Mr Gardner said the company also provides advice on tracking and billing options.

Mr Gardner said: “Weigh-as-you-go waste management is the future. I think most people in the industry recognise that. The challenge is to make the transition to this way of charging as seamless and user-friendly as possible.”