Location Codes for Waste Collection

Waste collection is a repeating route. A crew visits the same stops every week, and most of the work is routine. The pain points are exceptions: a new customer, a missed bin, a skip that needs to be placed in a particular corner of a yard, or a pickup request from a house nobody on the crew has seen.

Where the route and the address disagree

A bin may be collected from the back lane instead of the front door. A small business may share a yard with five others. A construction customer wants a skip on a particular patch of ground, not simply "at the site". In each case, the written address only names the building, and a crew member must work out the specifics.

Practical applications

• Service point records. Store a code for each collection point, so route builders see the actual position.
• Skip hire. The customer drops a pin on the spot where they want the container, and the driver arrives knowing where it goes and whether the lorry can reach it.
• Missed-collection reports. A resident sends a code and the supervisor sees which bin is meant.
• Communal bins and bring banks. Give each site a code and publish the list for residents.
• Illegal dumping reports. Residents can identify a spot precisely in a report, even in a field or a lay-by.

Workflow tips

1. Add a location field to the request or report form.
2. Keep a short description beside the code, such as "behind the side gate".
3. Review and update point records after route changes.
4. Use labels so that staff can tell a bin point from a skip spot.

Limits to bear in mind

A code identifies a place and not the container, its contents or the account that owns it, so retain your own IDs. A 3 m by 3 m cell suits bin placement, but it cannot show whether a lorry can turn in a lane. Reports filed by the public are unverified, so treat them as leads to be checked.

Municipal teams can read the related page on government and public services. Operators who run vehicles on set routes may find the notes on home services and repairs relevant for booked visits. API details are in the documentation.