Waste Voucher System Analysis & Review
Resource Hub was engaged by Bathurst Regional Council to undertake a desktop review of their waste voucher system – analysing current data, policy, and processes to identify risks and deliver practical recommendations to reduce administrative burden and strengthen voucher management governance
Challenge
Bathurst Regional Council had been operating a voucher system for resident waste disposal for a number of years – but layers of complexity added over time had made it increasingly difficult to manage. Vouchers were provided to all ratepayers, including commercial operations, with no restrictions on transferability. This meant commercial waste transport companies were able to bulk up domestic ratepayer vouchers, creating risk and inequity in the system.
The council ran two separate tracking systems for domestic and commercial vouchers – one scan-based, one relying on manual end-of-month reconciliation. Staff were processing an average of 200 manual voucher reconciliations per month, with roughly 3,000 commercial and 25,000 domestic voucher transactions recorded in a single financial year.
Adding to this complexity, the council offered multiple voucher types – 100 kg and 200 kg for green waste, and equivalent tiers for mixed waste. Vouchers were still paper based, issued with annual rates notices, which was difficult to prevent duplication of usage in some circumstances. There was no documented voucher policy or operational procedure; the only information available was on the council website, leaving critical process knowledge locked in individuals’ heads.
When Resource Hub conducted an initial on-site operational audit at Bathurst, the team quickly identified these challenges. Council was already aware of the issues but needed external, independent input to build a business case for change – and to avoid being the ones to “deliver the bad news” to ratepayers and elected members.
What we did
Resource Hub conducted a fully desktop-based review, working closely with council to access transaction data and walk through current processes.
The scope included:
- A discovery session with the Waste Management Coordinator to understand the existing voucher policy, system configuration, and operational workflows
- Analysis of domestic and commercial voucher usage data to identify trends, volumes, anomalies, and financial risks
- A review of current documentation – where it existed – including the council website and any available internal guidance
- Benchmarking against best practice approaches used by comparable councils for voucher management
- Identification of technology options to replace the paper-based system with a digital or card-based solution
A key finding early in the project was the near-total absence of written documentation. The voucher system existed largely in institutional memory, making it extremely difficult to assess, audit, or reform. This added complexity to the review but also reinforced the need for the engagement.
Outcomes
Resource Hub delivered a comprehensive report with findings, risk identification, and practical recommendations across both short- and long-term horizons.
Key recommendations included:
- Shifting the language of voucher eligibility from “ratepayers” to “households” – a straightforward policy change that automatically excludes commercial operators from the domestic voucher program
- Restricting vouchers to domestic customers who receive a kerbside bin service, tightening eligibility criteria and reducing the risk of commercial misuse
- Making vouchers non-transferable to prevent domestic customers from passing them to waste transport operators
- Developing a formal written voucher policy and documented operational procedure – to bring institutional knowledge out of people’s heads and into a governance framework council can manage and update
- Exploring app-based or card-based digital voucher solutions that would allow real-time tracking, reduce end-of-month reconciliation, and replace the current paper voucher system (while maintaining some paper-based access for community members who need it)
Conclusion
What looked like a voucher administration problem was really a governance problem. Without documented policy, clear eligibility criteria, or a unified tracking system, even small operational decisions were creating downstream headaches for frontline staff.
By providing independent, evidence-based recommendations, Resource Hub gave Bathurst Regional Council the external backing it needed to present a strong business case to elected members – making it easier to implement changes that staff knew were necessary, without council wearing the political cost alone.
Simplifying the voucher system will free up significant internal resources – time currently spent on manual reconciliations, account disputes, and workarounds can be redirected toward improving resource recovery outcomes and operational performance.