Waste Management And Technology 📀: The dawn of automation is upon us begging the question: how smart are your smart bins? Revolutionizing ways we monitor, manage and collect waste materials and recyclables are technological enhancements to waste bins or “smart bins”.

Gradually, they paved the way to more efficient, cost-wise and stress-free waste removal systems. The assumption can be made that organic waste is not harmful as it is natural, but that is not the case.

In fact, organic waste can be the most dangerous product in our landfills as they generate methane.

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Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that is 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. A study has revealed that the average household bin contains 60 per cent organic waste. To demarcate, 40 per cent make up food scraps and 20 per cent make up garden waste.


>Download Now: Free PDF Business Owners Guide To General Waste Bin Services


Before the inception of smart bins, collection crews would check each and every single trash bin. Not to mention, that is all done without having prior knowledge of the bin’s fill levels – proving to be a taxing undertaking.

Without the knowledge of what bins are full or empty, the task of collecting waste is unnecessarily long and tedious.

Thanks a tonne to the emergence of smart bins, fill levels are readily and promptly available to collection crews. Determining the best times to collect and optimize collection routes from data analysis are at the collector’s disposal already!

 

A bit about Waster

Before we continue on waste management and technology, let me share more information about Waster.

We here at Waster provide you with innovative solutions for your and your business’s waste management and recycling needs. Additionally, we provide flexible, 30-day contracts instead of the typical lock-in contracts, which proves to be better.

Click on the blue button to learn more.


READ: Are Baby Wipes Recyclable? 🧻


 

Waste management and technology: the advantages of automation

The cumbersome labour of monitoring and managing waste materials is slowly becoming a thing of the past. Ever since the advent of intelligent multi-functional waste bins, there’s no need to worry about dirt overflowing to the streets.

Waste management technologies are now readily available ranging from media bin sensors to bins with fluid dispensers. The ideal result truly is a substantial improvement with and recycling’s wherewithal.

Impacts to the environment are nothing but advantageous as automation promotes straightforward solutions and alternatives. Having a more efficient system of working and quicker execution of waste recovery are equally important targets too.

Lower levels of carbon dioxide and other emission gases result from traffic reduction from lesser collection visits. Improvements as regards increase in recycling rates and opportune waste collection times are additional positive upshots.

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Innovations include automatic identification of thousands of different models of old electronic devices in exchange for money. As a result, this helps divert more than 14 million smartphones and tablets from landfills.

In Australia, a national new container redemption scheme is currently in operation by Sage Automation’s award-winning bulk redemption terminal. This involves automatic counting and sorting of containers – in any condition – and entails production of refund receipts for potential customers.

By and by, this saves everyone involved time, money and energy – priceless benefits for us to reap.

 

Bin sensors: smarter than your average wheelie bins

We are living in an age where tasks and systems are fusing together with the power of Internet Of Things. I.O.T. basically is the interconnection of computing devices – via the internet – to accommodate exchanges of data.

When it comes down to waste management technologies, all we need is a reliable system of data exchange and analysis. Bin sensors in most cases, have distance or ultrasonic sensors that garner information such as the height of the bin. It then correlates that specific measurement with the calculation of the percentage of estimated waste inside the receptacle.

As the trash level increases, it simultaneously decreases the distance between the trash and the sensor.

The traffic (i.e. sending and receiving of information) is real time via the micro-controller of the sensor. The micro-controller processes the information and turns it into data.

Waste Management And Technology australia

 

An app visually displays the data to the collection truck drivers or to the management at the office. In addition to trash level estimations, the app gives a prediction of the time the bins will be full. It also gives alternate routes for optimization, ideal bin size suggestions, and other methods to enhance the operation.

The entire process will indicate the bins that need immediate attention, which optimizes garbage collection.

 

More waste management technologies

Let’s face it: sometimes, just the simple question of “what goes into where?” can be ambiguous. With the advent of waste management technologies, you no longer have to rack your brain to sort out your materials.

Some smart bins also come with technologies that make sorting for recycling easy such as smart recycle bins with the facility to scan the bar codes on products for disposal. It also supplies you with the information that guides you to appropriate bins for proper discarding.

Others have cameras and sensors that analyze discarded items once they enter the bin. What’s even more impressive is a technological feature that drains liquids (if present) and separates it with solid wastes. To top it all off, a software decides if the disposable items will end up in landfills or recycling plants.

Sending disposables coming from the waste segregation analysis into the appropriate bins.

Some sensors can notice sudden movements or shaking, which automatically activates vandalism alerts. They can also sense a sudden rise in the temperature of the bin, which activates fire alarms.

Other smart bins come with solar panels that trap energy from the sun. It uses the sensors to compress the waste deposits, thereby increasing the capacity of the bin in the process.

 

Take away: And a bit about Waster

The age of technology and automation combined with smart waste management provides substantive solutions in our fight against environmental unrest. More innovations come to fruition as time goes by and it can only get better from here on out.

The road to zero waste is not a straight line but rather a way paved with ruthless challenges. Certainly, arriving to the finish line with our end goal in mind is attainable over time. Our little contributions together with the help of technology, can and will go a long way!

Waster provides low cost waste and recycling services to small and medium Australian businesses. No need to shop around as we operate on flexible 30 day agreements with no hidden fees. We offer a price match guarantee on like-for-like services.

For more innovative solutions that suit your waste management and recycling needs, visit Waster now!

 

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