Value of Waste Flow Monitoring Service for House Managers in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management

Aalto University Department of Built Environment Engineering is developing a Waste Flow Monitoring Service. It provides better information about the amount and costs of the waste produced by real estates. Waste tracking indicators and their visualization have been examined but the value and feasibility of the service for House Managers have not been examined yet. It generated a need for this thesis. Target of the thesis is to clarify how Waste Flow Monitoring Service could create value for House Managers in municipal solid waste management and what kind of development needs the service have. The theoretical background discusses on municipal solid waste management principles from waste producers’ point of view. In the thesis waste producer means property owners, inhabitants and House Managers representing the properties. The benefits of smart waste processes on municipal solid waste management are considered in the thesis. Smart waste leads discussion to a business value creation. One way to create business value is to increase the service supply. New technologies in waste management allow new service experiences to customers through digital platforms. In order to develop services that fulfil customer needs and expectations, services have to be developed in a holistic way. Service Design is a new discipline supporting on that. The research is based on semi-structured interview process but it’s carried out in a way that differs from usual semi-structured interview. In the interview the Waste Flow Monitoring Service was demonstrated to give a practical context to the discussion. The thesis uses a case study research where researcher tests the demonstration screenshots presented and their applicability to House Managers. As a result, the value proposal of Waste Flow Monitoring Service was recognized. The Waste Flow Monitoring Service allows House Managers to follow weight and costs of produced waste per real estate. Waste Flow Monitoring Service enables weight based billing model where each property is charged according to amount of the waste they produce. As results of the thesis primary use cases for the service were identified and development ideas for the service were gathered. Results can be used for further researches and development work