What Homeowners Must Know About Smart Waste Management

According to the United Nations Environmental Programme, at least, 11.2 billion tonnes of solid waste is collected every year.

This number is expected to increase due to population growth and increased urbanization.

As it stands today, this volume of waste is crippling traditional waste management methods.

Experts have, therefore, used technology to upgrade to smart waste management to help increase the efficiency of waste collection and reduce the strain of waste on the environment.

So, what exactly is smart waste management, and what do homeowners have to know about this recent innovation? Keep reading to learn more.

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Smart Waste Management

Traditional waste management is the normal process of collecting waste. Waste is collected using trucks following predefined routes.

The bins along these routes are emptied into the truck without examining if they’re full or not.

In this method, half full bins are sometimes emptied first, denying other bins that are full an opportunity to be emptied.

This method isn’t sustainable in the long run as the bins may overflow as they wait for the next collection.

Additionally, as this method uses predefined routes, the bins in that route may not need to be emptied in a given collection trip, while full bins outside that route may need emptying. A lot of time and resources, such as fuel, are wasted.

Smart waste management was introduced to address these loopholes of traditional waste management, especially with increased waste production.

Smart waste management uses technology such as sensors, monitoring systems and mobile applications to collect waste in a more efficient and environmentally friendly way.

Although this method of waste management relies on technology, it can also be used by homeowners to manage their waste.

According to Cobra Waste and companies like it, efforts should truly be made in densely populated localities to develop and utilize smart waste management systems, apart from the usual segregation and recycling programs.

How Does Smart Waste Management Work?

Understanding how smart waste management works is the basis of using it for your home-generated waste.

First, note that the smart waste management system is connected to the Internet of Things (IoT).

Internet of Things is a software used for monitoring through real-time data collection on the system it’s supposed to monitor.

For smart waste management, sensors are mounted on the collection bin. The work of the sensors is to measure the level of collected waste in the bin.

When the bin is full, the sensors update and notify the waste management services so that they can empty the bins.

The sensors are also useful in mapping out the best possible routes for the collection trucks.

A truck will use the routes with the greatest number of bins needing emptying. Also, note that the bins to be emptied are marked.

This reduces the work of the waste collectors to examine which bins in a selected route should be emptied.

Overall, this system of IoT enhances waste collection efficiency in that only the full bins are emptied.

It also ensures that resources such as fuel and time aren’t wasted by mapping out the best routes for trucks.

In the long run, the data collected can be used to inform on things like

The rate at which the bin gets full
Factors that influence the rate at which the bn fills ups
How to reduce the cost of waste collection

Smart Waste Management Technologies Homeowners Can Use

As mentioned before, smart waste management is applicable even for waste produced at home.

Here’re some of the smart waste management technologies you can adopt as a homeowner:

Waste Sorting

One of the things hindering 100% recycling is how the waste is collected. Traditionally, all types of waste were collected in a bin and would later be disposed into a landfill.

However, experts realized that part of the waste being disposed of is recyclable.

They, therefore, introduced waste sorting. This is where recyclable waste is automatically separated from the rest of the waste.

Artificial intelligence software is fitted into the bin to detect recyclable material from non-recyclable ones automatically.

The waste is then separated into compartments within the bin.

Other than making the collection of recyclable waste easy, this technology also reduces human error.

People are, sometimes, not sure if waste is recyclable or not. This, therefore, compromises efforts to sort the trash manually.

The technology also reduces human labour and the cost of waste collection.

Waste Level Sensors

Most homes have their waste collected weekly. However, embracing smart waste management means getting rid of this routine in a bid to use resources efficiently.

As explained earlier, these sensors detect when the bins are almost full and inform the waste collectors.

After using the sensors for some time, you can collect the data and use it to predict the rate at which your bin becomes full.

Therefore, instead of collecting the waste every week, the waste collectors will create a schedule based on the data.

This saves the waste collection company a few trips that cost money for fuel, time, and labour.

Solar-Powered Trash Compactors

Solar-powered trash compactors are machines that are used to compress waste to increase bin capacity.

This technology helps the bin hold up to five times the traditional bin’s waste.

The trash compactors are solar-powered, so you don’t have to worry about the cost of electricity.

The more the waste is compressed, the fewer the trips by collectors. Hence, waste collection becomes more efficient.

Additionally, the technology comes with sensors that collect data when the bin is full.

These transmit the information to the collection company. With this smart waste management technology, your waste collection process is made easy and efficient.