Smart technology, connected devices, the cloud, big data, the Internet of Things (IoT) – all great buzz words, but what do they mean for the humble bin?
Data collection and analysis has been a growing part of waste management for a number of years. Whether it’s collecting recycling data, running compliance schemes or routing refuse collection vehicles, data is revolutionising the waste and recycling industry – indeed industry a whole. So what’s the next big thing?
To many the answer is simple, the Internet of Bins. Sometimes criticised as nothing more than a gimmick, with the often cited example of the online fridge, the potential for autonomous devices to communicate with each other does offer some real benefits for the waste industry. When it comes to the bins a number of firms have developed sensors which enable the container to communicate with the waste collector and request emptying only when necessary.
Such systems are already in widespread use and producing real and sometimes dramatic reductions in the number of collections needing to be made.
One firm developing the sensors which make the technology work is Finnish company Enevo. Based in Espoo the company has developed a sensor which can be fitted to early any bin and uses ultrasonic sonar technology to detect fill levels. It also measures temperature, tilt and acceleration, providing a range of data for the service provider.
According to Jason Knowles, Enevo's vendor relations Manager the sensors are able to provide information on a scale that has never been available before and offer the ability to monitor and predict fill-level and activity, and even learn customer habits.
The system provides dynamic real-time information and can also make recommendations for service improvements.
Speaking with WMW Andy Crofts, UK director for Enevo explains while local authorities, waste management companies and waste brokers have all taken up the technology, it also has potential in-house uses by industry.
“The technology is able to gather data which is able to inform collections, but also provide in-depth waste data for waste generators. Some larger companies are looking at how they manage their waste and using it to see where they are producing it and how potentially they could do things better.”
Once the data has been gathered by the sensor it is available for the operator to view and analyse in the companies desktop software. In a more recent development the system also now has the ability to link to the driver in-cab, plan the route and provide turn by turn navigation.
Clothing Collections in Buffalo
In Buffalo, clothing and textile recycling and reuse organisation, New York Hearts for the Homeless (HFTH) has been putting Enevo’s system through its paces.
Founded in 1990 HFTH initially started out with a small number of collection containers around. “We personally checked every container and it was easy to memorize locations and estimate fill speeds in order to organise our truck routes and collections,” explains Nick Calandra, COO and corporate secretary of HFTH
However, as the organisation grew and the collections were spread across a wider area, manual logistics planning became more complex and efficiency dropped. Containers on the regular collection routes were being emptied when only 30% full.
in 2014 and sensors were deployed on a hand-picked number of container sites throughout the operation. Pleased by the initial results, HFTH rolled the system out to all of its 420 collection sites.
Greater efficiency in collection route planning has resulted in reduced visits to individual container sites and increased fill-level rates from 35-40% to ~80%,
HFTH use Enevo to decide on the most economic container location to maximise the value of each container in the community. Staff now add new sites to their collection routes while on the road to ensure unexpected container fills are not missed.
“I can see the history of the container,” Calandra says. “If I have an under performing container I can chose to move it.
Big Belly Tops in Ireland
Enevo is not the only smart bin firm getting to grips with data driven waste collection. In Ireland Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (DLRCC) was named at inaugural Most Efficient Global Municipality following its deployment of Big Belly Smart Waste Systems.
According to the US manufacturer, by using its using Smart Waste System and smart waste management operations in its council-wide public spaces, DLRCC beat competition from over 500 global municipal Big Belly customers.
The Council trialled the Bigbelly system prior to purchasing 400 units in December 2014. The litter bin footprint was reduced from 530 litter bins to 421 Bigbelly solar powered compacting litter bins, however, the capacity of the system increased from approximately 45,000 litres to over 250,000 litres.
Using Bigbelly’s web-based application called CLEAN to monitor real-time levels of waste in the compactor bins, the number of litter bins collected during a working day has reduced by over 85% which resulted in a reduction of 75% in fleet operating costs.
The result allowed the council to redeploy 60% of its collection staff to other services.
The Future
The idea of autonomous bins communication over the internet may have seemed like the stuff of science fiction just a decade or two ago, but they have arrived, and are already proving a hit. As for the future, Crofts expects the technology to get smaller, cheaper and much more widely used.
“We’re also doing a lot more work with container manufacturers around the world and developing a number of partnerships,” he concludes. ”It will be integrated into containers and we’ll be looking at different power and communication options to make it cheaper and simpler.”
