Smart waste: Don’t Trash It!

Cities like Darmstadt or Bochum have paved the way, implementing the first smart waste projects with the aid of the Internet of Things. Solution provider SLOC was able with Telekom’s Magenta Business to decisively optimize its waste management sensor solutions. Equipped with a device about the size of a smartphone, waste containers can do more than relay their fill level to a central IoT platform. Is the temperature high? That might cause a fire. Has the container been moved? It is emptied successfully and that is noted in its logbook. Devices even report their battery status to ensure timely maintenance. Based on analysis of this data the software, in this case SLOC’s Waste Collection Portal, works out the most efficient routes for garbage collection operatives. The aim is to empty garbage cans before they are too full and reduce the number of superfluous journeys to cans that are still only half full. That not only cuts operating and waste disposal costs; the environment benefits too. Optimized route planning helps reduce CO2 emissions by saving on mileage and road use. This approach also boosts the circular economy because glass and plastic waste can be recycled faster.

The smart city of the future could also benefit private households. Private garbage cans – and not just municipal ones – could be equipped with IoT sensors too. They would then only be emptied when necessary. That could be once a week or once a month, whenever they are really full. Here too waste disposal services could schedule more efficient collection routes, thereby eliminating unnecessary journeys and cutting costs.

A reliable wireless connection is crucial for the IoT application’s success. For that, SLOC’s solution relies on NarrowBand IoT, which as an LPWAN, or Low Power Wide Area Network, is especially energy saving. The wireless modules are also inexpensive and easy to install. With limited data volumes the hardware requires little energy and has a long service life. If the data is then fed in real time to cloud-based software systems, evaluation is automated to output specific information in the next step – such as which garbage containers the operatives should head for first.

Comprehensive solutions like SLOC’s make it increasingly easy for cities and enterprises to try their hand at smart waste management. From the hardware to the Internet connection and app usage, the package includes all of the components that are needed and covers a wide range of requirements. IT service providers like Telekom help decision makers to transform their city into a smart city and enhance urban quality of life. As no one city is the same as any other, SLOC provides a toolbox with all manner of smart city components, and with co-creation in mind members of the public are involved in all decisions and projects.

The examples set in Bochum and Darmstadt show that IoT projects can improve the cityscape and that people appreciate clean cities. With Covid-19, sustainable municipal hygiene concepts have more than ever become a societal responsibility and, properly deployed, the Internet of Things can be a great help. Low-cost all-inclusive solutions like SLOC’s enable waste disposal operators to co-ordinate garbage truck routes better cost-effectively and to help improve a city’s CO2 performance sustainably. Municipal administrations can implement smart waste concepts more and more easily as part of their digital transformation, deal confidently with the pandemic’s special challenges and achieve rapid results. Smart cities will in the long term always also mean smart waste.