Challenges Faced by Commerical Waste Generators in 2025

A Call for Technological Innovation

More than ever, in today’s ever-evolving corporate landscape, multinational Commercial Waste Generators (CWGs) are under increasing pressure to manage their waste and recycling processes with greater efficiency. The demands from both internal and external stakeholders to manage liquidity, achieve sustainability goals, and maintain regulatory compliance are continuously rising. At the same time, CWGs are struggling with the complex processes of ingesting waste documents, capturing detailed waste data for reporting, auditing invoices for accuracy, and ensuring timely payments. They do this while continuing to effectively manage their business operations, considering cost efficiency, operational accuracy, and seamless coordination with vendors. It’s a delicate balancing act.

Most CWGs recognize the need for more streamlined processes; however, limited resources and outdated technology often slow down their efforts. Addressing these challenges requires not just good intentions and incremental changes, but rather, transformative technological solutions and the right partner to provide them.

Common Obstacles CWGs Face

While the challenges CWGs face may be varied, they generally fall within the following categories:

For CWGs, extracting accurate data from waste documents is at the foundation of their sustainability efforts. This information is important for a number of reasons, including tracking diversion rates, measuring environmental impact, and meeting regulatory requirements. Yet, the process is filled with inefficiencies:

• Labor-Intensive Processes: Manually reviewing and inputting data from countless invoices, contracts, and reports is time-consuming and error-prone.
• Inconsistent Data Formats: Vendors often provide information in varying formats, adding complexity to an already intricate process.
• Increased Compliance Pressure: Governments and organizations continue to demand transparency in sustainability reporting, which requires reliable data.

Managing thousands of documents and coordinating with dozens of vendors is no small undertaking. Without a centralized repository, CWGs face:

• Data Fragmentation: Information stored across multiple systems or in siloed departments can lead to inefficiencies and errors.
• Difficulty in Access: Critical documents, such as vendor contracts and payment records, may not be readily accessible when needed, causing delays and miscommunication.
• Operational Bottlenecks: A lack of centralized oversight makes it challenging to monitor and optimize waste management processes.

Daily invoice auditing is essential in making sure payments align with vendor contracts. However, CWGs often struggle with:

• Manual Verification: Reviewing invoices manually is time-intensive, cost-prohibitive, and error-prone.
• Missed Discrepancies: Without a thorough audit, companies may overpay by 1-3% annually—a cost that can significantly impact their bottom line over time.
• Contract Misalignment: Discrepancies between agreed-upon rates and actual charges are fairly common and require vigilant oversight.

Chasing down missing invoices is another common challenge for CWGs. This process involves:

• Time-Consuming Follow-Up: Confirming that all invoices are accounted for means meticulous oversight and constant communication with vendors.
• Risk of Late Fees: Missing or delayed invoices can lead to fees, impacting financial performance.
• Service Interruptions: Unpaid invoices may result in vendors halting services, which can disrupt operations.

Finding and retaining skilled professionals in waste management is another considerable hurdle. CWGs require employees to have expertise in:

• Data Analysis: Professionals who can interpret waste data to guide strategic decisions.
• Financial Auditing: Specialists who can make sure invoices are accurate and optimize costs.
• Vendor Coordination: Skilled personnel to manage vendor relationships and ensure compliance.

Managing liquidity is emerging as a challenge for CWGs and third-party brokers, especially given the rising interest rates that impact cash flow and borrowing costs. Ensuring financial agility requires a focus on certain key areas, including:

• Invoice Efficiency: Streamlining invoice processing to improve cash flow predictability and reduce delays.
• Strategic Partnerships: Collaborating with partners who can provide liquidity solutions or facilitate more favorable terms with haulers.
• Expert Negotiation Skills: Developing or outsourcing the expertise needed to navigate complex financial negotiations.

The challenges CWGs face are not insurmountable, despite seeming so at times. In next month’s blog, we’ll explore the benefits of Cass’s advanced proprietary technology, WasteVision™, to show the technological solutions that can help overcome these challenges.

About Cass

Our Invoice Management Solution (IMS) provides four core services: (1) acquires critical data from multiple documents, (2) manages the data acquired, (3) provides business intelligence for internal and external stakeholders, and (4) offers a financial exchange for timely and efficient vendor payments addressing liquidity and cash management goals.

Leveraging our proprietary technology, WasteVision™, we provide a more informed, efficient process that focuses on reducing costs and relieving your burdens. Our passion for this work and our reputation for client satisfaction provide us with the opportunity to work with hundreds of the world’s largest organizations.

Contact us at www.cassinfo.com to learn more about how we can help you reduce or even eliminate these challenges today to get on a path to a more efficient, sustainable tomorrow.