Waste
Waste is used to record ingredients that are no longer available for use. Use waste when stock is lost, spoiled, damaged, thrown away, or otherwise removed from inventory without being sold or transferred.Record unusable stock
Post ingredients that were spoiled, damaged, expired, spilled, or otherwise lost.
Reduce inventory
Create negative inventory movements so stock balances stay accurate.
Track waste reasons
Add clear reasons to understand why stock was removed.
What waste does
When waste is posted, Mathership creates a negative inventory movement.
Example:
When to use waste
Use waste for:- Spoiled ingredients
- Damaged goods
- Expired stock
- Preparation losses
- Dropped or unusable items
- Complimentary items given away
- Staff meals
- Customer returns
- Spillage
- Over-portioned ingredients
- Manual stock reduction that is not a sale, transfer, or count correction
When not to use waste
Do not use waste for normal sales consumption.How to open the waste sheet
Waste is posted from the storage unit detail page.1
Open storage units
Go to Manage → Storage Units.
2
Open a storage unit
Select the storage unit where the waste happened.
3
Open Waste
Click Waste on the storage unit detail page.
4
Add waste lines
Select ingredients, quantities, units, and reasons.
5
Submit waste
Click Submit waste to post the waste movements.
Adding waste lines
The waste sheet works the same way as the stock count and transfer sheets. You add one ingredient line at a time, then submit all lines together. Each line needs:Waste reasons
Reason is required for every waste line. Choose from the built-in options or enter a custom reason.
When you select Other, a text input appears where you must enter a custom reason before the line can be added.
Waste lines table
Once lines are added, they appear in the table above the add form.Editing a line
Click the pencil icon on any line to edit it inline. The row switches to edit mode showing:- Quantity input
- Unit dropdown
- Numpad toggle
- Reason dropdown
- Custom reason input, if reason is Other
Removing a line
Click the trash icon to remove a line. This only removes it from the current waste session. No stock has changed yet.Submitting waste
When all lines are ready, click Submit waste in the footer. The footer shows the total count of lines, including any unsaved editor line that is ready to add. When submitted, Mathership processes all lines as a bulk posting. All items are processed together in one request.Inventory value
Mathership calculates the inventory value of waste using the current weighted average cost of the ingredient. Waste value = waste quantity × weighted average cost The waste value is stored in the inventory ledger as a negative value.What happens in the ledger
Each waste line creates an inventory ledger entry.
This makes waste visible in ingredient history, storage unit reports, and inventory reports.
Example
Current stock:
Waste posted:
Result:
Bulk waste example
Multiple ingredients can be wasted in one submission.
All three lines are submitted together and processed in one ledger entry set.
Entering quantities in packaging units
If an ingredient has packaging levels configured, you can enter the waste quantity in those units instead of the base unit. For example, if butter has a packaging level of 1 Block = 250 g:
When the entered unit differs from the base unit, the converted base quantity is shown below the input field in real time.
Permissions
You can only post waste for companies and storage units you are allowed to access. If you do not have access, Mathership returns an authorization error.Common errors
Ingredient not found
Ingredient not found
The selected ingredient does not exist or does not belong to the selected company.Check the ingredient and try again.
Storage unit not found
Storage unit not found
The selected storage unit does not exist or does not belong to the selected company.Check the storage unit and try again.
Reason is required
Reason is required
A reason must be selected for every line.If you chose Other, the custom reason text field must also be filled in before the line can be added.
Validation error
Validation error
Required fields are missing or invalid.Check that ingredient, quantity, unit, and reason are all filled in correctly.Quantity must be greater than zero.
Best practices
Record waste immediately
Delayed waste entries make stock reports less accurate between the loss and the posting.
Add clear reasons
Specific reasons make it easier to identify recurring spoilage, over-portioning, or quality issues.
Use waste only for unusable stock
Do not use waste to correct stock counts or record sales. Use the correct feature for each situation.
Use packaging units
If you count waste in boxes, blocks, or packages, select the packaging unit to reduce calculation errors.
Review waste regularly
Recurring waste for the same ingredients may indicate storage, portioning, or ordering problems.
Check the ledger
Review waste entries in the ledger to confirm quantities, values, and storage units.
Related pages
Ingredients
Learn how ingredients are tracked in inventory.
Storage Units
Learn how inventory locations are managed.
Transfers
Learn how to move stock between storage units.
Inventory Ledger
Learn how stock movements are recorded.