Why Chain of Custody Tracking Is the Missing Link in Your Recycling Program
May 6, 2025

Are you confident in your organization’s recycling numbers? Do you know exactly what happens to your recyclables after they leave the bin? If you’re like most businesses, campuses, or venues, the answer is probably “not really.” Here’s why that matters, and how tracking the chain of custody can change everything.

What’s Holding Back Your Recycling Efforts?

  • Are you relying on estimates or generic reports from your hauler?
  • Do you know how much contamination is in your recycling stream?
  • Can you prove your recycling actually makes it to a processor and becomes new products?
  • Are you missing out on cost savings because of inefficiencies or material loss?

Most organizations struggle with these questions. Without clear, bin-level data and a transparent chain of custody, it’s nearly impossible to measure true recycling performance or identify where things go wrong.

Why Does Chain of Custody Matter?

Tracking the chain of custody, from the moment recyclables hit the bin to their arrival at a processing plant, gives you real answers. With a platform like EcoLedger™ (Powered by The Topper Stopper™ and TS Analytics™) from Waste Wise Innovation, you can:

  • Save Money: Spot inefficiencies, reduce contamination, and optimize collection schedules to cut costs.
  • Boost Sustainability: Get accurate diversion rates and prove your impact with real data, not estimates.
  • Maximize Environmental Impact: Quantify your carbon and water savings, and show stakeholders the real difference your program makes.

Ready to See What You’re Missing?

If you want to move beyond guesswork and make your recycling program a true driver of sustainability and savings, it’s time to track your chain of custody. Learn more about how our solutions can help your organization take control of its recycling story, and its results.

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Recycle Smart Monitoring System™

The Recycle Smart Monitoring System™ (RSMS) provides a method to measure the fullness of a recycling bins. The Topper Stopper™ units equipped with RSMS determine the depth of an empty bin, then check the bin depth at specified intervals. Notifications are sent out via text message and/or email when bins reach a specified level of fullness. This works on varying sizes of bins because the system obtains the depth each time a bin is emptied (or replaced).

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