Technology to the rescue

Technology to the rescue - How bin-weighing systems can help reduce household waste Could technologies initially designed to enable companies to charge for trade waste collections be more widely utilized as the basis of 'pay by weight' domestic waste collection services? What are the advantages, and are these technologies really a reliable way out of the problem of ever greater volumes of waste? Malcolm Bates looks at background developments and reports from Cork in the Republic of Ireland, where just such a scheme went 'live' in January. Malcolm Bates 'Pay by weight' collection of domestic waste is likely to be a contentious issue in many communities. Those of us brought up on the principle that the local council undertakes such operations as part of its civic responsibility, in exchange for a local income tax or a charge based on the rateable value of each property might regard it as yet another erosion of standards, or even a ploy by local politicians to get paid twice for doing the same job - especially as any such scheme is unlikely to be matched by a huge reduction in taxes or charges.It's hard to nail these feelings down, but waste collection is one of the cornerstones of a municipality's creation - equal to the provision of fresh, piped water and sewerage services. These are, to many, what mark out 'civilization', and running these services is what local authorities are for. In exchange, we might have to put up with petty local politics and the occasional example of poor judgement, but at least we can go about our business safe in the knowledge that our waste bin will be emptied regularly. Waste transfer stationWell, if that's been your view - and I suspect it's the view of the majority of citizens used to the northern European model - then the future looks unsettling. Whatever your political viewpoint, it's a fact that those backing a pro-privatization agenda have made great strides since the 1980s. Waste collection in the US has long been almost entirely commercially run. So, it is argued, why do such operations have to be run exclusively by local authorities elsewhere in the world?There might well be a number of very good reasons, but as is often the case, large public institutions are not very good at defending their ground. So the simple fact is, commercial waste companies have prospered globally, and now there's no going back. All we can hope for is that the mantra, 'commercial companies thrive on competition and choice', will be constantly tested by the provision of a public service element to guard against any natural trend towards a commercial monopoly, and provide a safety net on public health issues.But now there's another twist - could domestic waste collection services run by local authorities actually benefit from using bin-weighing systems originally designed for commercial trade waste contractors? Data collection comes good Why are these questions so important now? Because the technology to facilitate a cost-based charging system suitable for domestic waste collection is finally available. The actual technology has been used for some time for trade waste collection, but the cost and complexity of 'pay by weight' systems (also called 'pay as you throw' by some) has 'weighed' against its widespread adoption on household or domestic rounds.Any 'pay by weight' system of domestic waste collection will require not only new hardware in terms of suitable truck-mounted binlifters and 'software', including management and invoicing systems, but also an entire new stock of suitably microchipped refuse bins. It's easy to understand why, until now, there has not been a headlong rush to instigate such schemes. The technology to facilitate a cost-based charging system suitable for domestic waste collection is finally available If it is solely a case of charging, then 'pay by weight' technology might well have remained primarily a tool of commercial waste collection companies. But whether by accident or design, the availability of such technology has provided - for the first time - an opportunity for local authorities to collect specific data on the type and quantity of waste collected from individual households, rather than just a general figure for gross weight computed from material checked over truck weighbridges. The acquisition of such data has now been shown to have a dramatic reduction on the gross tonnages of waste collected and the way in which citizens react.Although the 'technology' might have existed for some time, operational experience and any subsequent benefits have not been widely publicized - not least because if a refuse collection vehicle (RCV) equipped with on-board weighing fails during service, it can only be replaced by a spare or hired-in vehicle featuring the same equipment. The high cost means that spare collection vehicles cannot be sanctioned - making a vibrant hire industry seemingly a prerequisite for more widespread implementation. Through Irish eyes ... Irish Government Minister, Martin Cullen, is putting his weight behind the 'pay as you throw' system asa way of solving the landfill crisis To get a better idea of the benefits that can be obtained from 'pay by weight' systems, I recently attended a presentation hosted by Cork County Council in the Republic of Ireland. An outsider might conclude that this busy city in an essentially rural area was under no real pressure to find a solution to the mounting waste disposal problem in Ireland. But the reality is in fact the exact opposite.In a recent keynote speech, the Irish Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Martin Cullen, explained that the very image of Ireland generally - and the picturesque south in particular - was under direct threat from an economy that has been extremely buoyant over the last decade. At the same time, increasingly tough EU directives were coming into play at a point when suitable sites for landfill become ever harder to find in the Republic. In addition, the Irish road network does not lend itself to long-distance bulk transfer of waste (not to mention unhelpful rules regarding proximity) and there was already considerable public disquiet about the impact of more waste incinerators on the landscape in a part of the world where tourism remains a vital source of national income.Martin Cullen said, 'We had to find a system that would continue to reflect Ireland's importance as a 'green and pleasant land' and take into account our growing economy without having a detrimental effect on the environment. In order to solve our waste management problems, we have to make people aware that they can play a direct role and I think this really is the preferred system.'That 'system' is a 'pay as you throw' programme, initially trialled on a district-by-district basis, but as from the beginning of February this year, is 'live' in North and West Cork. Investment has been significant - in the region of Û2 million so far in an area of just 25,000 inhabitants. But even critics who might criticize yet more local authority's 'red tape' and bureaucracy have to reflect on the trial results, which showed a dramatic reduction in domestic household waste. Status of weighing process is provided by compact light-coded display beside the binlifter controls The new weighing equipment was successfully retrofitted onto existing Otto binlifters tosave cost In his speech, the Minister pointed to a government-sponsored initiative, 'Race Against Waste', whose website (www.raceagainstwaste.com) recently took 20,000 hits, and expressed his hope that the whole of the Republic will be able to move over exclusively to a bin-tagging regime very shortly. The remaining parts of County Cork, with around 37,000 inhabitants, go 'live' in January 2005, after the investment of a further ¿2.5 million.What makes the Cork County Council programme even more significant is that it is located some distance from the suppliers of the specialist bin-weighing equipment and any manufacturing base. While free from the intense pressure of being a major European capital city, even senior executive officer, Jerome O'Sullivan, admits to having concerns about whether the 'technology' would be able to stand up to the rigours of council operatives on a day-to-day basis!But what about the residents? An awareness programme with a freephone number was instigated and an information leaflet was sent to each household to inform residents of the changes and the potential benefits, such as a hoped-for reduction in fly-tipping and street litter. Council vehicles were repainted in a bold, new, corporate red and green colour scheme, as were the new microchipped bins. A heavy responsibility A large part of the responsibility for making the system in North Cork work fell on local municipal equipment supplier, Manvic, the agents for PM On-Board Ltd in the Republic of Ireland. The local area representative for Manvic, Paddy Boyce, reports that apart from a few inevitable 'teething troubles', interest in 'pay by weight' schemes has grown considerably throughout Ireland, now that the findings of the initial Cork County Council trials have become known. Indeed, Jerome O'Sullivan reports interest from communities as far away as Australia! 72% of adult residents in Cork were in favour of 'pay as you throw' It could be argued that the cost of such a scheme in a rural community was correspondingly higher per-head than would otherwise be the case in a more urban environment. So to help soften the financial impact, Cork County Council has taken the unusual step of retrofitting existing waste collection vehicles with the bin-weighing equipment.Tim Raffety, Managing Director of Dataset IT Systems, Dublin, headed up the installation of the computer software in North Cork. He observes, 'PM On-Board's Binweigh binlift weighing units were retrofitted onto Otto binlifts by Manvic staff and specialists brought over from PM On-board headquarters near Bradford in the UK. The on-board weighing systems have been approved by the National Metrology Laboratory - the Government's metrology department in Dublin - and, while this necessitated wiring the electronics and the in-cab printer onto vehicles that were in some cases already seven years old, the switch-over seems to have been successful.' The weight of each bin collected is assessed against the number of inhabitants recorded as living in each household as they appear on the electoral register. My door-to-door enquiries on a typical housing development suggest that the new scheme will focus householders' attention on the need to recycle materials, as a failure to do so would almost certainly push the amount of waste collected into a penalty zone. The change-over to the new system has had several amusing side effects - including one street where several 'ghost' households suddenly became apparent! Overall, however, the new system was judged by residents as being fair. Bottle recycling centre. Most residents inCork are in favour of finding ways ofimproving recycling Data are recorded by an in-cab 'black box' connected to paper printer giving specific details of each lift Called to account Each household has been given a specific account number and - in case of a dispute - the time, date and weight of each collection can be examined. In a recent survey, 72% of adult residents in Cork were in favour of 'pay as you throw', while 90% said they were in favour of finding ways to improve recycling. Councillor Kevin O'Keefe of Cork County Council stressed that the Council has striven to be flexible with householders until the system was fully bedded-in, but pointed out one bizarre side effect that has already come to light. Householders unwilling (or too lazy) to embrace the spirit of the scheme have been caught depositing their excessive waste in their neighbours' bins - thus undermining the advantages of recycling and, in some cases, causing their conscientious neighbours to be wrongly penalized.To overcome this inevitable side effect, Cork County Council is making available wheeled bins with a special gravity-operated bin lid locking system, which automatically unlocks when the bin is tipped on the binlifter. As an ultimate sanction, the individual chip in each bin, which is automatically read by the binlift, can be deactivated if collection charges are unpaid. Since bin-tagging began, waste collected has been falling by an average of 1000 tonnes/month These minor side effects, however, are nothing compared with the hard positive facts gained during the trial period, starting 12 months ago in West Cork. Historical data predicted a continuous year-on-year rise in the amount of waste collected in Cork. But since bin-tagging began, the waste collected by Cork County Council has fallen from between 1200 and 1800 tonnes/month at the weighbridge in 2002 to as low as 800 tonnes/month during 2003, with 1000 tonnes/month being the average (see Figure 1). Such savings release resources for improved recycling schemes, while the provision of new refuse bulking equipment will further improve management options to redesign collection vehicle routes to eliminate uneconomical second 'half loads'. FIGURE 1. Amount of waste sent to landfill during 2002 and 2003.SOURCE: CORK COUNTY COUNCIL The wider benefits Could the wider instigation of 'pay by weight' systems for domestic waste collection have other benefits? There is some welcome evidence from the UK that a wider spread of new technology in waste collection might boost the position of previously small, privately owned waste and recycling companies that have previously found it hard to compete either against in-house services run by local authorities or the trade waste services built up by large commercial waste contractors.Many of these smaller operators have built up a 'local' customer base and, in direct contrast to the larger contractors, usually employ local labour which pumps money back into the local economy. Larger companies have previously been able to play a long game and build up waste collection services along a route that might remain unprofitable for many years until a 'critical mass' is obtained. With on-board weighing technology, smaller operators are now able to obtain detailed cost figures on a call-by-call basis - thus ensuring optimum truck routings (and service provision costs).Nowhere is this information more vital in areas relating to the collection of semi-industrial builders' waste and green waste. The arrival of a new on-board weighing system from Multilift, designed specifically for use on hook-lift trucks, is thus a welcome development. Among the benefits to both the driver and the operator is instant warning of any overload as well as the exact weight of the container and its contents. A monitoring and logging system enables customized reports to be prepared automatically, which give details of the movements and loads carried by individual vehicles within the fleet. The system is based on four pre-installed sensors fitted to the Multilift equipment either at the manufacturing stage or, when required, as a retrofitted item. 'There are many situations where enclosed containers - particularly in the waste and recycling sector - have to be transported before they can be taken to a weighbridge. In these cases, weight is often a matter of guesswork,' says Multilift's Harri Mattila. 'Our new integral weighing system provides an immediate, visual and audible alert to the driver and, at the same time, the data are sent direct to the fleet manager's office-based IT system or mobile phone.' Householders unwilling to embrace the scheme have been caught depositing their waste in their neighbours' bins The bin-weighing scheme has shown an immediate and dramatic reduction in the amount of waste going to landfill Experience from independent operators in both rural Wales and elsewhere in southern Ireland underline the fact that it is not only the heavily populated regions of the world that can make a difference in waste reduction. A commercial operator, 'Mr Binman', already has a fleet of 24 waste trucks equipped with PM On-Board systems, and has 60,000 customers on-line in the predominantly rural area around Limerick. This makes it the largest such fleet in Ireland. Conclusion Cork County Council has cleverly packaged the twin attributes of waste reduction and increased recycling together with bin weighing. Its preferred policy is a combination of waste reduction 'credits' for those residents who help make the system work and a zoned charging penalty for those who don't. The waste reduction benefits are such that there is even talk of local taxes being reduced in the longer term. A wider spread of new technology in waste collection might boost the position of small, privatelyowned companies Technology that started out five or six years ago as a money-making tool for hard-nosed commercial interests in the waste sector could now prove something of a 'win-win' situation all round on domestic collection services. The new scheme will focus householders'attention on the need to recycle materials,as a failure to do so would push the amountof waste collected into a penalty zoneHowever, concerns regarding long-term reliability and the possibility of slightly longer binlifting times in under-pressure urban operations do need looking into. In my limited time working with a vehicle in operation in Cork, there was the odd misread but, in most cases, a second try saw the bin logged and returned to ground level with very little extra fuss.If widespread bin weighing and logging can provide us with the database we need to make long-term plans for waste disposal, then the cost and such concerns will be worth it.