In the world of waste and recycling, our mission is simple but powerful: help customers reduce environmental impact while making waste management seamless. But waste isn’t just what ends up in the bin or the landfill; it can hide in our processes, workflows, and day-to-day operations. That’s why Waste Logic is proud to announce the implementation of Lean Six Sigma across our Canadian operations.
Lean Six Sigma is a globally recognized methodology used to improve performance by eliminating process inefficiencies - waste in the operational sense. And there’s no better place for this methodology to live than inside a commercial waste and recycling partner that’s committed to removing both kinds of waste: operational and environmental.
In this article, we’ll break down what Lean Six Sigma is, why it matters for our customers, and how it’s shaping the way we deliver smarter, greener waste solutions.
What is Lean Six Sigma?
Lean Six Sigma combines two powerful approaches to process improvement. Lean, which focuses on eliminating waste, and Six Sigma, which focuses on reducing variation and improving quality.
Let’s look at each part:
Lean: Originating from Toyota’s production system, Lean identifies and removes the 8 types of operational waste. Which are, Defects, Overproduction, Waiting, Non-Utilized Talent, Transportation, Inventory, Motion, and Extra Processing. These are often remembered with the acronym DOWNTIME.
Six Sigma: Developed at Motorola, Six Sigma uses data-driven tools and statistical analysis to reduce errors and increase consistency.
When combined, these methodologies help businesses operate faster, smarter, and with more consistent results. That’s something every customer wants.
Waste on Two Fronts: Environmental and Operational
As a full-service waste and recycling partner, we’re already deeply invested in helping customers reduce physical waste like trash, recyclables, organics, hazardous materials, construction debris, and more. But we recognized there was another type of waste hiding inside our own operations.
Internally, like many growing companies, we’ve accumulated some “operational waste”: manual workarounds, inconsistent service workflows, gaps in communication, rework, vendor errors, and missed optimization opportunities. While these aren’t visible in a dumpster, they pile up in customer service bottlenecks, billing cycles, and vendor coordination delays.
We've launched internal White, Yellow, Green, and Black Belt training in every department. Today, we have nine certified Black Belts actively leading these initiatives across the company.
By embracing Lean Six Sigma, we’re attacking waste on both fronts. By helping your business reduce the amount of physical waste going to landfill or incineration. And by streamlining how we deliver our services for a smoother, faster, and more accurate experience.
Why This Matters to You
If you're a multi-site retailer, restaurant chain, property manager, or industrial customer, you probably chose us because managing waste services across numerous locations and haulers is complicated and time-consuming.
Here’s how our Lean Six Sigma journey benefits you directly:
- More Consistent, Predictable Service: Six Sigma is all about reducing variation. That means whether you’re operating in Vancouver, Halifax, or Regina, you’ll receive the same high standard of service. We’re using process mapping and control charts to analyze and stabilize everything from site activations to issue escalations.
- Faster Response Times: Lean identifies and targets bottlenecks and unnecessary steps. We’ve streamlined workflows, so service requests, container swaps, and billing questions move faster through the system. That means quicker resolutions and less waiting on your end.
- More Accurate Invoicing: One of the biggest sources of frustration in waste management is billing errors. Using Six Sigma’s DMAIC process (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control), we’ve re-engineered our invoice audit system to catch discrepancies before they reach you.
- Smarter, Data-Driven Insights: As we collect data to improve our processes, we also identify trends that help you. For example, analyzing service level variation at different sites may reveal an opportunity to consolidate pickups, reduce costs, or improve diversion rates. With Lean Six Sigma, your data becomes actionable insights.
- Greater Accountability and Transparency: Standardized processes lead to clearer service agreements, documented hauler accountability, and better performance tracking. You’ll see the difference in how we escalate vendor issues, track resolution times, and report back to you.
How We’re Applying Lean Six Sigma in Waste Logic
Our implementation started with a simple but powerful question: “Where are we wasting time, energy, and resources that don’t create value for our customers?”
Here are a few key areas we’ve targeted so far:
Onboarding New Sites: Previously, site setups involved multiple departments with overlapping responsibilities and no standard playbook. We mapped the onboarding process, defined the “value-added” steps, and removed unnecessary approvals. Result: new sites go live faster, and fewer things fall through the cracks.
Hauler Management: We’ve implemented vendor performance tracking (missed pickups, late swaps, damage complaints). Underperforming haulers are flagged early, and corrective action follows a consistent escalation process. No more informal “gut feel” decisions.
Invoice Reconciliation: Previously, invoice audits were manual and reactive. Using the DMAIC framework, we identified patterns in errors (e.g., weight overages or rate mismatches). Now we’ve automated many checks, and discrepancies are resolved before they ever reach the customer.
Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Lean Six Sigma isn’t a one-time project. It’s a mindset. One that empowers every employee to see waste and remove it. We’ve launched internal Yellow, Green, and Black Belt training in every department to build a culture of continuous improvement. From dispatchers to account managers, everyone is learning how to:
- Identify process inefficiencies
- Use root cause analysis (like 5 Whys or Fishbone Diagrams)
- Implement sustainable fixes instead of short-term patches
It’s about turning every team member into a problem-solver who is invested in better outcomes for customers.
Lean Six Sigma and Sustainability: A Natural Fit
At first glance, Lean Six Sigma might seem like an internal operational tool. But when you zoom out, the alignment with sustainability becomes obvious:
Less physical waste: Lean Six Sigma helps identify where unnecessary pickups, over-servicing, or missed diversion opportunities are creating waste.
Fewer carbon emissions: By optimizing hauler routes, container sizes, and pickup frequency, we reduce the carbon footprint associated with transportation.
Conservation of time and materials: Efficiency means fewer emails and less paper waste. All small actions with big impacts on scale.
Put simply, when our operations are leaner, your program becomes greener.
What’s Next?
Our Lean Six Sigma journey is just beginning. In the coming months, we’ll be launching pilot projects to improve:
- Diversion reporting accuracy
- Container placement efficiency
- Missed pickup resolution turnaround
- Customer education around contamination and organics programs
We’re also involving customers in the feedback loop. You may be asked to participate in voice-of-the-customer surveys. This is part of the “Measure” phase. Understanding what matters most so we can focus on it relentlessly.
Final Thoughts: Waste isn’t Just in the Bin
Waste is more than just what’s hauled away. It’s anything that doesn’t add value to you, your customers, or the planet. At Waste Logic, we’re embracing Lean Six Sigma because we believe that being a full-service waste and recycling partner means more than managing bins and billing. It means setting a higher standard for operational excellence, customer experience, and environmental impact.
This is not a fad or a rebranding effort. It’s a deep commitment to doing things better for our customers, our partners, and our planet.
