How a New York City airport terminal used WATS to identify recycling invoice errors and cut costs

Illustration of a document with financial data, a light bulb with a bar graph inside, and a magnifying glass.

AIRPORT CASE STUDY

People sitting and eating at tables in an airport food court with a three-restaurant food stand in the background, featuring signs for HNL Country, Green Leaps, and Zaro's.

An airport terminal used WATS to review its waste and recycling invoices. What began as a standard audit turned into a high-impact discovery: recycling errors were costing the airport thousands.

Within one quarter, invoice corrections led to $10,000 in immediate savings and a projected $40,000 in annual savings going forward.

“WATS helped us spot errors we didn’t know we were making. What started as a routine check turned into a real financial win.”

— Manager, Environmental Compliance& Sustainability, NYC Airport Terminal

$10K

Immediate cost savings

$40K

Projected annual savings

BUSINESS TYPE

Airport terminal facility management

BUSINESS DETAILS

Waste and recycling data oversight across airport operations

Challenge

WATS identified potential recycling invoice mistakes in the airport terminal’s 2025 waste invoices, raising concerns about billing accuracy and overall operational efficiency. Without a centralized way to verify invoice data, small errors could compound, leading to unnecessary costs and missed opportunities for better recycling oversight.

Solution

A table with two sections labeled 'Contract' and 'Invoice'. The contract section lists services as Trash, Mixed Recycling, and Cardboard with rates, showing a red handwritten note of '$100' next to 'Mixed Recycling'. The invoice section lists the same services with dates and rates, with a red handwritten note showing '$120' next to 'Mixed Recycling' and an arrow pointing to the contract's rate, labeled 'mismatch!!'. The background is dark green with a warning sign and text indicating automatic data flags for discrepancies.

WATS conducted a detailed review of 2025 waste invoices, flagging discrepancies in recycling charges and highlighting gaps in the existing review process. The platform enabled the airport to:

  1. Identify and correct invoice errors

  2. Validate recycling data against actual operations

  3. Lay the groundwork for more reliable ongoing cost management

Results

  1. $10,000 in confirmed savings from one quarter of corrected invoices.

  2. $40,000 in projected annual savings based on recurring patterns

  3. Improved data transparency and confidence in vendor billing

  4. Strengthened collaboration with WATS to support future audits and operational improvements