While it may not be the first example that comes to mind when thinking about smart technology, waste management has become an essential function for businesses that operate parks, stadiums, arenas, amusement parks, and similar types of attractions that attract large numbers of people.
Many traditional forms of waste management rely on scheduled collections, where a team will pass by the same locations on a predetermined schedule, whether a bin is nearly empty or already at maximum capacity. IoT-based smart waste management aims to make the entire process more data-driven.
What Is Smart Waste Management?
Smart waste management leverages a combination of IoT technology, connected sensors, waste monitoring platforms, and advanced data analytics to offer better insights into the operations surrounding waste collection. These sensors can monitor individual waste bins, providing data on filling levels and bin locations. This data is then accessed through a central system, which can give operators a clear overview of where waste collection is needed most. Instead of asking “When should the next trash collection be?”, they can ask, “Where in the venue does a trash collection need to happen right now?”
Why Is It Beneficial for Parks and Attractions?
Places such as parks and attractions often have a significant amount of waste, and this generation can fluctuate drastically. Consider the waste output at an amusement park on an average weekday versus the waste at the same park on a holiday weekend. Major events or sporting competitions can also create enormous increases in waste at a stadium or arena.
Scheduled collections can struggle to keep pace with these changes.
Smart sensors provide improved visibility, allowing waste management to adapt to the environment and adjust the priority of collections as needed.
Optimizing Collection Routes Smart waste management offers opportunities to optimize collection routes, which is a significant practical benefit. When there is a need to service multiple locations, data about the location and filling level of each bin can determine which sites should be prioritized for collection. This allows workers to avoid unnecessary trips to locations where bins are still largely empty, and to allocate their time and resources more effectively to areas where collection is genuinely required. For large venues, route optimization can make trash collection more organized and efficient.
Real-time Monitoring Real-time monitoring is also a critical feature of smart waste management systems. Instead of solely relying on manual checks by personnel to determine a container’s level of waste, sensors that report conditions can transmit live data to the system, which then sends alerts to the appropriate teams. This approach can help reduce the number of occurrences of overflowing bins when the venue is busy.
Leveraging Historical Data Beyond real-time information, Smart waste management utilizes historical data to identify trends over time, including where and when the most waste is generated and which sites are generating the most. Identifying areas that require collection more frequently or understanding collection trends during major events can also enhance planning and improve resource allocation.
A Practical Scenario Imagine that you are managing a large public venue with hundreds of individual trash bins. A traditional waste collection program might involve having staff check each bin at set times of the day. With a connected waste management system in place, however, managers can track the status of every container remotely and prioritize which containers are closest to capacity for collection.
If there is a large amount of trash in dining area locations, then teams can be routed to service those areas first while containers in lesser-visited locations can wait longer.
This brings more flexibility to the waste collection schedule.
Going Beyond Waste Management Smart waste management is part of a larger IoT landscape, and smart technology follows a similar logic for a variety of infrastructure-based, data-generating assets. The relevant principle here-that objects and places can generate data which connected technology and software platforms can then aggregate, and finally, which organizations can turn into meaningful insights-is applied to many of the IoT-based solutions being explored for various connected applications, including:
Smart infrastructure monitoring and analysis
Smart building and facilities management
Smart city initiatives
Environmental monitoring
Remote asset monitoring
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