Recycle bins in Ireland will tell when they are full

The smart containers are solar powered, more efficient and able to send emails when they need to be emptied

If anyone has ever thought that recycle bins are too simple a tool to be made automatic, they have been wrong. Local and environmental authorities in Ireland are going out of their way to develop smart infrastructure and services across the country, so as to make our lives easier. This of course extends to all sorts of public services, including waste collection. Provided with WI-FI, these self compacting bins can inform the relevant waste management division when they are full by sending an email, thereby reducing operational cost and making waste collection much more efficient.

To make it even better, the Smart Bins need no additional energy, but the one they receive from the solar compactors, installed on the top of each of them, the former getting triggered once the waste reaches a 85% of the volume. It is then compacted in order to enable the collection of as much as 800 litres of waste or 6 to 8 times more than traditional bins. Additional functionalities can include air quality information, sound monitoring, WI-FI network or travel times between two locations.

The smart bins are rapidly taking over traditional public litter containers, so far 401 of them and counting being installed in the Dn Laoghaire-Rathdown County area.

Source: smartdublin.ie