UAE: Smart bins under trial in Abu Dhabi, can detect waste, signal to empty trash

The company from Abu Dhabi, known as Tadweer Group, is introducing smart bins for testing, and these bins can provide such information as the amount and type of waste, as well as the overall understanding of communities’ demands.

These locally made bins are able to identify what has been disposed of by members of the community and the level of fill among other things through the use of sensors and modern technology. These and many other benefits of the collection operations, the brilliant bins developed by Tadweer allow the organization to know how many wastes are inside and what type of waste it is as well as when to empty the bins.

The trial is now operational in some areas in Abu Dhabi.

As its name suggests, it targets the specific user, so it can determine what an individual user wastes, how much waste and kinds of wastes,” said Ollie Lawson, media and communications adviser at Tadweer Group — Abu Dhabi’s waste management only provider.

Workings of a smart bin?

A resident has to get to the official portal and then sign up by providing simple information such as their name and address. Later on, they can scan the barcode or QR code on the smart bin to unlock it, and then dispose of the waste. It is determined what type of waste it is and the weight of this waste is figured. The Tadweer center can then use the information to determine when exactly the bin is full and in turn, empty it.

The smart bins can show how much waste can go in it then sensors can show how full it is getting trucks hence have to go there only when it is full and not frequently hence reducing carbon emissions Lawson stated in an interview with the media that the Smart bin service will be incorporated into the official App, where residents can scan the Barcode or the QR code which will then lead them the bin.

Understanding communities

These bins will be something that has not been applied before to reduce and manage the waste that comes about due to a growing population and consumption patterns. It is involved in determining how the various groups of people, especially those living in villas as well as residents in various buildings are developing distinct kinds of waste.

“There is a focus on which and how the community is producing waste such as a localized knowledge of the kind of waste coming from villas, tower blocks, or other we have no data at all and are trying to enhance our knowledge and intelligence that will assist in managing the waste,” said Lawson.

“While villas with big families are different from apartments housing fewer families in terms of waste generation, areas also have differential rates of waste generation and rates of recycling… So, all these are considered, and attempts are made to gather the data which will be used to initiate new methods of waste management.”

Smart bins can prove to be a long-term solution to effective and efficient waste management.

‘It will give details of what is being thrown and how often it is done’, ‘It can be used to plan where our trucks should be going’, ‘It will also assist in identifying whether the area requires more RVMs or additional bins’, Lawson emphasized on the importance of the trial for acquiring further data and making analysis when rolling out the program.