Waste management is a significant expense for many businesses. However, smarter technology can streamline collections and make it easier to cut costs while upping your environmental sustainability.
Think about it: A hundred years ago, you couldn’t talk instantaneously to a billion people on the other side of the planet and watch cat videos for free. Technology has brought these miracles to life.
Automate Your Routing
In a world where everything is becoming increasingly automated, technology for waste management services must also stay on top of its game. Automation can reduce costs, increase efficiency, and protect the environment.
One area where this is possible is with route optimization software. This system can take the guesswork out of determining which routes are most efficient for waste collection, saving you money on fuel and labor costs.
Another way to use automation is by streamlining your accounting transactions. This is possible with software that allows you to pass data between systems, automating processes like invoices, appointment reminders, and service updates. By automating these tasks, you can save time and resources while ensuring that your data is accurate.
Technology is also being used to help increase recycling rates and promote more sustainable waste management practices. This is particularly true for businesses, which produce more waste than individuals. Introducing technologies that make it easier and more affordable for companies to recycle will encourage more people to do so, which can significantly impact the amount of waste produced and incinerated.
Cities across the globe are implementing innovative technology to improve waste management and recycling, resulting in lower landfills and pollution. For example, Barcelona has a pneumatic waste pipe system that transports garbage directly to the processing center without needing trash pickups. Additionally, the city uses smart bins equipped with sensors and AI programs to track what types of waste are thrown and then communicate this information to the disposal system.
Automate Your Inspections
In the waste industry, efficiency and accuracy are essential. However, maintaining inspection checklists manually can be time-consuming and prone to error. This is where automation can help. With an inspection app, you can eliminate paper-based documentation, ensure inspections are conducted accurately and efficiently, and streamline reporting processes.
One of the biggest challenges with recycling is separating and identifying contaminants in the waste stream. Fortunately, AI makes it easier for waste management companies to identify and sort materials, leading to cleaner products and less methane emissions. For instance, using visual perception, AI for waste management can distinguish different recyclable materials. It can also detect the presence of contamination or other material that could potentially harm a recycling plant.
Solutions like fill-level sensors help cities collect trash only when needed, reducing truck trips and overall costs. Smart bins can provide location tracking and other information, allowing sanitation teams to track containers. For example, they can see when a bin is overflowing or whether it has been moved and address problems before they become larger.
These are just a few examples of how technology improves managing waste. Consumers strongly desire to reduce waste and recycle; the right solutions can help make it easier.
Automate Your Maintenance
Streamlining maintenance can save your business money and prevent costly downtime. One way to do this is by automating your equipment maintenance. For example, you can set up a reminder that your waste collection equipment is due for service or use an online tracking system that alerts you to potential issues. You can also streamline your maintenance by assigning responsibilities to your team members. It allows them to focus on the most important maintenance tasks and gives them peace of mind, knowing they are doing the work correctly.
Whether by adding sensors to waste bins or downloading a recycling app, people worldwide use smart technology to make their waste management processes more efficient and environmentally friendly. With 75% of the global waste stream thought to be recyclable, the new technologies emerging in this field are helping reduce landfill levels and greenhouse gas emissions.
If you still rely on weekly trash collections, upgrading to an automated process may be time. It can help reduce operating costs by eliminating wasted trips and fuel consumption. Plus, it can help to keep your waste streams flowing smoothly during periods of high production. It will give you the confidence to negotiate for better pricing with your hauler and can improve the overall quality of your organization’s sustainability efforts.
Automate Your Reporting
There’s no denying that the world is bursting at the seams with trash. Whether due to growing urban populations or rising consumer culture, we produce too much garbage, and our traditional waste management systems can’t keep up. Thankfully, new technology makes it possible to streamline trash collection and reduce the waste we dump into our ecosystem.
From smart sensors on trash cans to pneumatic waste disposal systems, we see several innovative technologies that help reduce our environmental footprint. One of the most exciting innovations, it offers a real-time monitoring system for waste management that alerts sanitation teams when a bin is full and sends a pickup alert. This ensures that trash is only collected when necessary, reducing unnecessary carbon dioxide emissions and fuel consumption.
The company’s solution uses visual and hyperspectral cameras to read a bin’s contents and determine when it is full. It also uses the camera’s color detection to identify different types of materials and their corresponding colors to sort the garbage according to the most appropriate disposal method. Combining these technologies can prevent waste from being improperly disposed of or contaminated, which has become an issue lately as countries that once bought American recyclables have tightened up on the quality standards they will accept.
