> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://nectarclimate.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Waste tracking
> Set up, monitor, and analyze waste data — from hauler invoices to waste stream analytics.
Looking for the dashboard reference instead? See [Waste analytics](/docs/platform/analytics/waste). For common questions, jump to the [FAQ](#frequently-asked-questions) 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](/docs/platform/data-quality/completeness) 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:
| Dimension | What it means | Example |
| ------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| **[Waste description](/docs/platform/glossary#waste-description)** | The material label on the source document | `OCC`, `MSW`, `Cardboard` |
| **[Waste material](/docs/platform/glossary#waste-material)** | Your company's material category for that label | Cardboard, organics, mixed solid waste |
| **[Waste stream](/docs/platform/glossary#waste-stream)** | How that material is processed or where it ends up | Landfill, recycled, composted, donated |
| **Site** | The facility the waste came from | Distribution center #4 |
| **Hauler** | The waste provider on the bill | Republic Services, Waste Management |
| **Container** | The dumpster or bin, with its size and units | 6 cubic yard dumpster |
The **waste description** is the material label found on the bill. Nectar classifies that label into one of your company's **waste materials**. **Processing rules** then assign the material to a **waste stream** based on the utility provider and, when needed, the site.
Classification from description to material is learned from your corrections over time — it is not a processing rule and is not configured rule by rule. Each waste material carries a **density** value, which lets Nectar convert volume-based pickups (for example, cubic yards) into a common mass unit so mixed-unit data is comparable across haulers and sites.
**[Processing rules](/docs/platform/glossary#processing-rule)** connect a waste material to a waste stream. Processing rules can be scoped three ways, and the most specific match wins:
* **Company-wide** — applies everywhere (for example, "Cardboard → Recycled").
* **Per provider** — applies to all sites for one hauler.
* **Per provider + site** — applies to one hauler at one facility, so the same material can route to a different stream where local processing differs.
This keeps stream classification consistent as you add facilities and lets the same material follow different paths by hauler or site.
## Setting up waste tracking
Create your [sites](/docs/platform/sites/overview) 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.
In [**Settings > Company > Waste**](https://dash.nectarclimate.com/settings/company/waste) (**Material routing**), review the waste materials and streams. Nectar starts you with a default set — most organizations only track a handful of materials, so trim the list to the materials 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).
Add processing rules so every waste material resolves to a stream. Start with company-wide rules, then add per-provider or per-provider + site overrides only where processing differs. The routing matrix on the **Processing rules** tab and the materials/streams tabs help you see what is configured; [**Analytics > Waste**](https://dash.nectarclimate.com/analytics/waste) also surfaces alerts when consumption has no waste material or is not assigned to a waste stream.
Add a waste [connection](/docs/platform/data-input/connections) using a hauler portal login where one is available, or upload invoices, manifests, and spreadsheets directly under [Uploads](/docs/platform/data-input/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).
When a hauler bills by container service rather than weight, add the container **name, size, and units** to that connection (see [Custom container](/docs/platform/data-input/connections#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:
* **Routing matrix** — On **Settings > Company > Waste** (**Material routing**), the Processing rules matrix shows how materials route to streams. Use the Waste materials and Waste streams tabs to finish configuration.
* **Analytics alerts** — [**Analytics > Waste**](https://dash.nectarclimate.com/analytics/waste) warns when some consumption has no waste material assigned, or is not assigned to a waste stream, with links to fix materials or add processing rules.
* **Unmapped grouping** — Records without a waste material or without a resolving processing rule appear in analytics under **No Rule**. Resolving them improves classification completeness, not totals.
* **[Completeness](/docs/platform/data-quality/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](/docs/platform/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.
## Trends and analytics
Open [**Analytics > Waste**](https://dash.nectarclimate.com/analytics/waste) to explore your data. The [Waste analytics](/docs/platform/analytics/waste) page gives you four views:
* **Total** — Monthly totals table, consumption trend chart, and year-over-year comparison.
* **By Waste Stream** — Breakdown table, composition pie chart, yearly stacked distribution, and stream trend over time.
* **By Waste Material** — Same widgets grouped by material instead of stream.
* **Inspect** — Aggregation inspector to drill into usage by site, account, or meter for the selected period.
Filter by date range and site to focus on a portfolio or a single facility.
Because every record is separated by material, stream, site, hauler, and container, you can answer questions like "how much of our waste went to landfill 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** (page title **Material routing**). From there you can add, edit, and remove waste materials and streams, and create processing rules scoped company-wide, per provider, or per provider + site.
Yes. Most organizations only track a few materials. On the waste settings page, delete the default materials you don't report on and add any that are missing, then add processing rules for the materials you keep.
Open the meter, expand the waste details in the edit form, and choose a more specific waste material. If no existing material matches, create a new one under **Settings > Company > Waste** first, then assign it. The waste stream is derived automatically from your processing rules.
Analytics groups unmapped waste under **No Rule** when a record has no waste material, or has a material but no resolving processing rule. Use the routing matrix on **Settings > Company > Waste**, or the alerts on **Analytics > Waste**, to assign the missing material or add a processing 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 material'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.
Waste is a spot-delivery commodity, so Nectar marks a month complete when at least one pickup exists. See [Data completeness](/docs/platform/data-quality/completeness) for how this differs from continuously metered commodities like electricity.
**See also:** [Waste analytics](/docs/platform/analytics/waste), [Connections](/docs/platform/data-input/connections), [Data completeness](/docs/platform/data-quality/completeness), [Glossary — Waste](/docs/platform/glossary#waste), [Glossary — Waste material](/docs/platform/glossary#waste-material), [Glossary — Processing rule](/docs/platform/glossary#processing-rule)