Municipal Waste Data Monitoring and Reporting: Interim Guidelines

4 DATA QUALITY REQUIREMENTS
4.1 DATA QUALITY
4.1.1 Consistency
In addition to the consideration of what waste statistics are required, the issue
of data quality is equally vital. The main data quality requirements are:
• consistency;
• auditability / traceability / integrity;
• timeliness; and
• minimal paperwork.
These criteria are discussed briefly below.
The value of undertaking an extensive data collection process is limited if the
data collected are not collated in a consistent manner. It is vital to ensure that
common rules apply to all data gathering activities. Small variations in the
methodology adopted for gathering and recording data can make significant
differences to the figures presented, so it is crucial that data are collected on a
consistent basis across each authority (i.e. all District Council operations) to
enable meaningful comparisons and trend tracking. District Councils should
thus ensure that the procedures developed for data monitoring are fully
adopted and maintained. This issue further reinforces the need for a Data
Reporting Officer (as described in Section 3.3) with sufficient authority to
implement and enforce adequate monitoring and reporting systems.
4.1.2 Auditability / traceability / integrity
An auditable data recording and monitoring system is essential to
demonstrate the authenticity of the data and KPIs calculated from the
datasets. The most practical way of achieving this is to document the
procedures that are adopted in data gathering and to ensure that the
documented procedures are deployed in the actual data gathering and
collation processes. The use of simple step-by-step procedures will provide an
auditable trail of data and also enhance the identification and resolution of
data errors whenever they occur.
In particular, it is essential that District Councils are able to provide
demonstrable evidence of the quantities and fate of materials collected
forrecycled and composting. District Councils will be required to verify and
document the recycling / composting / reprocessing activities of their
operators and recycling merchants and thus ascertain the actual percentages
of input waste that is recycled/composted/reprocessed/disposed of and their
end markets.
MUNICIPAL WASTE DATA MONITORING AND REPORTING: INTERIM GUIDELINES 13