Computer system and method for waste accounting, reduction, and evaluation

Claim 2

A computer-implemented method of operation on a computer to allocate the cost of treatment, storage, and/or disposal of a specific waste material generated to sites of waste material generation comprising the steps of: a. providing at least one database containing information including sites of waste material generation and routes of possible flow of waste material after it is generated to disposal thereof; b. inserting said database implemented on said computer; c. inputting to said computer information containing the date, type, source, cost, and destination for each transaction of waste material generated; d. inputting to said computer identification of waste generation sites: e. operating said computer to recursively search said inputted transactions to locate all transactions of waste material having a type and destination which match the type and source of said transaction of said specific waste material and continuing to operate said computer to recursively search back to at least one waste generation site said inputted transactions to respectively locate all transactions of waste material having a type and destination which match the type and source of previously located transactions respectively of waste material wherein the destinations are sources respectively of said previously located matching transactions and having transaction dates which are on or before the respective dates of subsequent transactions of waste material in the flow routes respectively thereof to locate sites of generation of waste material which match the quantity and type of said specific waste material; and f. operating said computer to allocate the cost of the treatment, storage, and/or disposal of said specific waste material among the located matching sites of waste material generation according to the inputted costs for the respective transactions of waste material located during the search.

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of inputting information includes inputting chemical constituents of the waste material.

Claim 4

A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of inputting information includes inputting physical and chemical properties of the waste material.

Claim 5

A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of inputting information includes inputting for each of the transactions the identity of a plant at which waste material is generated, treated, stored, and/or disposed.

Claim 8

A system according to claim 5 wherein said means for inputting information includes means for inputting the physical and chemical constituents of the waste material.

Claim 9

A system according to claim 5 wherein said means for inputting information includes means for inputting the chemical properties of the waste material.

Claim 10

A system according to claim 5 wherein said means for inputting information includes means for inputting for each of the transactions the identity of a plant at which waste material is generated, treated, stored, and/or disposed.

Claim 11

A computer-implemented method of tracking waste material between sites of generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal thereof comprising the steps of: a. providing at least one database in a first program module containing information including sites of waste material generation and routes of possible flow of waste material after generation thereof; b. inserting said first program module in a computer; c. providing a second program module containing a database interactive with said first program module database for receiving information regarding waste material generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal at said plurality of sites; d. inserting said second program module in said computer for interaction between said databases of said first and second program modules; e. providing a third program module containing a database for receiving from a manufacturing database information regarding said plurality of sites each of which sites has an assigned identification code in the manufacturing database; f. inserting said third program module in said computer; g. providing a fourth program module containing a database interactive with said first, second, and third program module databases for tracking waste material generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal to the plurality of sites; h. inserting said fourth program module in said computer for interaction between said databases of said first, second, and third modules; i. inputting to said second program module database information relative to waste material generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal at said plurality of sites including inputting assigned identification codes for said sites which are the same respectively as the assigned identification codes for said sites in the manufacturing database; and j. operating the computer to interact between said databases of said first, second, third, and fourth modules to effectuate an output tracking waste material generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal between said plurality of sites whereby the same identification code identifies a site in both the second and third program module databases.

Claim 12

A computer-implemented method of tracking waste material between sites of generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal thereof comprising the steps of: a. providing at least one database in a first program module containing information including sites of waste material generation and routes of possible flow of waste material after generation thereof; b. inserting said first program module in a computer; c. providing a second program module containing a database interactive with said first program module database for receiving information regarding waste material generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal at said plurality of sites; d. inserting said second program module in said computer for interaction between said databases of said first and second program modules; e. providing a third program module containing a database for receiving from a manufacturing database information regarding said plurality of sites each of which sites has an assigned identification code in the manufacturing database; f. inserting said third program module in said computer; g. providing a fourth program module containing a database interactive with said first, second, and third program module databases for tracking waste material generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal to the plurality of sites; h. inserting said fourth program module in said computer for interaction between said databases of said first, second, and third modules; i. inputting to said second program module database information relative to waste material generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal at said plurality of sites including inputting assigned identification codes for said sites which are the same respectively as the assigned identification codes for said sites in the manufacturing database; and j. operating the computer to interact between said databases of said first, second, third, and fourth modules to effectuate an output tracking waste material generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal between said plurality of sites whereby the same identification code identifies a site in both the second and third program module databases.

Claim 13

A method according to claim 9 wherein said manufacturing database includes information relative to at least one of production output and raw material usage.

Claim 14

A method according to claim 9 further comprising preassigning identification codes for said plurality of sites which are the same respectively as the identification codes for said sites in the manufacturing database.

Claim 15

A computer-implemented method of operation on a computer to allocate the cost of treatment, storage, and/or disposal of a specific waste material to sites of waste material generation comprising the steps of: a. providing at least one database in a first program module containing information including sites of waste material generation and routes of possible flow of waste material after generation thereof; b. inserting said first program module implemented on said computer; c. providing a second program module containing a database interactive with said first program module database for receiving information regarding waste material generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal at said plurality of sites; d. inserting said second program module implemented on said computer for interaction between said databases of said first and second program modules; e. providing a third program module containing a database for receiving from a manufacturing database information regarding said plurality of sites each of which sites has an assigned identification code in the manufacturing database; f. inserting said third program module implemented on said computer; g. inputting to said third program module information from the manufacturing database regarding said plurality of sites; h. providing a fourth program module containing a database interactive with said first, second, and third program module databases for tracking waste material generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal to the plurality of sites; i. inserting said fourth program module implemented on said computer for interaction between said databases of said first, second, and third modules; j. inputting to said second program module database information relative to waste material generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal at said plurality of sites including inputting assigned identification codes for said sites which are the same respectively as the assigned identification codes for said sites in the manufacturing database; k. operating said computer to interact between said databases of said first, second, third, and fourth modules to effectuate an output tracking waste material generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal between said plurality of sites whereby the same identification code identifies a site in both the second and third program module databases; l. inputting to said computer information containing the date, type, source, cost, and destination for each transaction of waste material generated; m. inputting to said computer identification of waste generation sites; n. operating said computer to recursively search said inputted transactions to locate all transactions of waste material having a type and destination which match the type and source of said transaction of said specific waste material and continuing to operate said computer to recursively search back to at least one waste generation site said inputted transactions to respectively locate all transactions of waste material having a type and destination which match the type and source of previously located transactions respectively of waste material wherein the destinations are sources respectively of said previously located matching transactions and having transaction dates which are on or before the respective dates of subsequent transactions of waste material in the flow routes respectively thereof to locate sites of generation of waste material which match the quantity and type of said specific waste material; and o. operating said computer to allocate the cost of the treatment, storage, and/or disposal of said specific waste material among the located matching sites of waste material generation according to the inputted costs for the respective transactions of waste material located during the search.

Claim 16

A computer-implemented method of operation on a computer to allocate the cost of treatment, storage, and/or disposal of a specific waste material to sites of waste material generation comprising the steps of: a. providing at least one database in a first program module containing information including sites of waste material generation and routes of possible flow of waste material after generation thereof; b. inserting said first program module implemented on said computer; c. providing a second program module containing a database interactive with said first program module database for receiving information regarding waste material generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal at said plurality of sites; d. inserting said second program module implemented on said computer for interaction between said databases of said first and second program modules; e. providing a third program module containing a database for receiving from a manufacturing database information regarding said plurality of sites each of which sites has an assigned identification code in the manufacturing database; f. inserting said third program module implemented on said computer; g. inputting to said third program module information from the manufacturing database regarding said plurality of sites; h. providing a fourth program module containing a database interactive with said first, second, and third program module databases for tracking waste material generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal to the plurality of sites; i. inserting said fourth program module implemented on said computer for interaction between said databases of said first, second, and third modules; j. inputting to said second program module database information relative to waste material generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal at said plurality of sites including inputting assigned identification codes for said sites which are the same respectively as the assigned identification codes for said sites in the manufacturing database; k. operating said computer to interact between said databases of said first, second, third, and fourth modules to effectuate an output tracking waste material generation, treatment, storage, and/or disposal between said plurality of sites whereby the same identification code identifies a site in both the second and third program module databases; l. inputting to said computer information containing the date, type, source, cost, and destination for each transaction of waste material generated; m. inputting to said computer identification of waste generation sites; n. operating said computer to recursively search said inputted transactions to locate all transactions of waste material having a type and destination which match the type and source of said transaction of said specific waste material and continuing to operate said computer to recursively search back to at least one waste generation site said inputted transactions to respectively locate all transactions of waste material having a type and destination which match the type and source of previously located transactions respectively of waste material wherein the destinations are sources respectively of said previously located matching transactions and having transaction dates which are on or before the respective dates of subsequent transactions of waste material in the flow routes respectively thereof to locate sites of generation of waste material which match the quantity and type of said specific waste material; and o. operating said computer to allocate the cost of the treatment, storage, and/or disposal of said specific waste material among the located matching sites of waste material generation according to the inputted costs for the respective transactions of waste material located during the search.

Claim 17

A method according to claim 12 further comprising inputting to said computer identification of chemical constituents of the waste material.

Claim 18

A method according to claim 12 further comprising inputting to said computer identification of physical and chemical properties of the waste material.

Claim 19

A method according to claim 12 further comprising inputting to said computer for each of the transactions the identity of the plant at which waste material is generated, treated, stored, and/or disposed.