Re-bill

Team Name

AUSR

Team Members

Project Description

Project Description Details: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Uy3TzFmKdRBA3J_V_vu-f1_0jGcoxyqw/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101073660354177681714&rtpof=true&sd=true

When it comes to covid waste management, the two main words that come to mind, that are considered practical and instant solutions to deal with managing covid waste are: “Sorting” and “Recycling”.

However, it is easier said than done.

For health sector businesses, with no incentives in sorting out covid waste from general waste, disposable clinical waste ends up in landfill with other general waste, and these medical wastes such as masks, plastic gloves, PPE clothes… can take years, if not centuries, to decompose. This represents a detrimental effect on the environment and it has a serious impact on communities that are near poorly managed landfills.

For businesses that are conscious of covid waste and its effect, they do not have many options to deal with such waste. Private companies charge an expensive waste management fee for covid-related waste. In addition, by not segregating, the covid waste ends up in general waste and therefore increases the overall cost of waste management for the business because their general waste bins get filled much quicker. Healthcare facilities are inadequately equipped to manage their current waste burdens, let alone the extra COVID-19 load. Health professionals may be exposed to harmful microbes, burns, and needle stick injuries as a result of this.

Goals

For those reasons, we identify the two important goals that we need to achieve:
- Encourage the sorting and recycling of covid waste the moment they are disposed, not after waste collection
- Track and predict medical equipment related to covid usage and develop a waste management plan accordingly

The real underlying questions that are hindered in these two goals are:
- How are we going to encourage businesses to take initiatives in sorting out covid waste so that it reduces the cost and environmental effect of handling covid waste later on down the track?
- How can we accurately predict the use of covid-related equipment and plan out waste management responses?

Introducing Re-Bill, a platform for businesses to submit invoices of covid purchases to receive incentives from the government while gaining access to free covid waste management service. Re-Bill enables better sorting practice and encourages recycling of medical waste by utilising existing datasets that every company have - their purchase invoices.

Data Story

Simply put, businesses cannot track their covid-related equipment usage, but they sure can know how much they have purchased through invoices received from suppliers. The model works providing a platform for businesses to submit their purchase invoices. For instance, on a pro-rata basis, every $1000 dollar invoice equates to a free voucher for covid waste management service, including the supply of covid-waste bins and their collection. Businesses will also have access to GST claims as an incentive for taking responsibility for sorting out covid waste while reducing their overall waste management cost by reducing the filling rate of their general waste bins.

Think of a new bin colour (for instance, Purple) where businesses have policies in their companies for their staff members to throw personal protective equipment, plastic gloves and face masks (as well as other medical waste) into these bins. They are then collected and gathered to a central processing point by the government. Businesses can save money while the government can track the waste generated from each business based on their purchasing invoices. A better waste management plan is therefore developed once the covid waste is segregated from general waste, collected and brought to a central processing facility.