Five smart cities that are using technology for efficient waste management

Cities in the world, mainly smart cities, are increasingly integrating more technologies and the Internet of Things to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of services such as waste collection.

- Singapore

Since 2016 this city, a leader in technology and urbanization strategies, was already experimenting with smart waste containers that run on solar energy, provide Internet access, and are equipped with fill level sensors.

Each of the containers was equipped with a compactor that helped it have up to eight times more capacity than a normal garbage can.

The objective of this city is to continue advancing in the replacement of its more than 7,000 public waste containers and with smart technology to obtain greater efficiency and environmental value.

- San Francisco

In 2019, the city began installing optical sensors in 1,000 containers that alert crews when they are full, which is expected to reduce more than half of the overflowing containers.

These sensors are also part of a system that can track and learn from user activity patterns and the amount of waste they deposit.

All of this helps make decisions about where in the city new containers should be placed, when garbage collectors should empty them, and where recycling options may be needed.

- Barcelona

The city for several years has been doing tests with the Internet of Things (IoT) for its urban development, it even has a sensor to control air quality.

The city is committed to reducing waste management expenses through home recycling and fill-level sensor containers. In just four years, the public administration spent 1.5 billion euros on the task of collecting waste and handling recycling.

- Seoul

The solution that the city introduced for its waste management was to install waste compaction containers powered by solar energy and with integrated sensors that report on the filling status.

These bins also helped tackle the problem that waste collection planners did not know when a bin was full, so already with constant monitoring of smart containers, they were able to tell which bin was full. In addition, they installed sensors in existing conventional bins.

- Seattle

In 2018 the city updated its waste management program to incorporate IoT-based waste technology. It recently launched a fleet of recycling, compost, and garbage trucks that are powered by renewable electricity and natural gas.

This investment made by different smart cities in the world to better manage their waste translates into greater efficiency, greater savings in expenses, greater recycling of waste, and finally, greater contribution to caring for the environment.