Sigfox in Germany has partnered Slovakian firm Sensoneo to monitor waste bins and optimise waste collection in factories and other buildings.

The system includes Sigfox 0G based sensor and button technology to identify full bins. Sensoneo’s smart waste management system, a cloud-based platform on MS Azure, collects all the data and full bin requests and calculates the most optimal routes.

The operator has full remote control of the waste collection operation. The collection app for drivers navigates according to the factory floor plan and records feedback.

Designed for manufacturing, it accommodates on-demand and scheduled requests. It deals with variables such as vehicle capacity, bin capacity, trash type, bin type and work schedule.

The integration into existing IS is available via APIs. Sourcing data to third party platforms is also possible. This fits well into lean production concepts and promotes productivity.

“We are ready to deploy a project within a short time window,” said Elena Sztochay, director at Sigfox in Germany. “According to our experience, upon careful coordination, the deployment is as fast as seven working days.”

A detailed database is created with all containers including waste types, capacities, bin location and the most accessible spot for collection. The platform then consolidates all data on bins and infrastructure, and accommodates the rules for route planning. The system’s dashboard gives users access to all bins, planned, current and completed routes, as well as service verification and reported fill levels. This gives operators control over the entire waste collection operation and allows them to manage it remotely via tablet or smartphone.

“The scope of our comprehensive smart waste management has expanded enormously since we developed it in 2014,” said Martin Basila, CEO of Sensoneo. “Thanks to in-house development, we are flexible enough to meet specific requirements of different verticals – smart waste management for factories and its powerful route planning engine is just one example.”

The Sensoneo platform incorporates rules such as “Empty container within 60 minutes of the request” or “The driver can accept a new route upon completing all previous ones” and even more complex ones such as ‘Waste types A and B can be collected at the same time, but type C must be collected separately.”

A US automotive manufacturer, which also operates two production facilities in Germany, has been using the system. Its logistics analyst said: “The cooperation with the project team was extremely professional and the project was executed exactly according to the approved project plan. Our new factory waste management brings order and efficiency to our internal waste management. In addition to optimised collection routes, we receive valuable data that we need for strategic decisions regarding our waste management policy.”

The application-ready end-to-end system can be made available within a short time. Initial cost calculation tables for determining the required financial and time investment, plus amortisation calculations based on previously deployed projects, are provided by Sigfox.

Organising waste collection around actual fill levels in bins, and not assumptions, can result in estimated costs savings of 30% while maintaining or even improving the quality of service or reducing waste collection-related costs.

In addition to indoor waste management, the Sensoneo technlogy can be deployed in any outdoor bins and containers, since the Sigfox 0G network is already available almost everywhere in Germany.

Sensoneo is an enterprise-grade smart waste management provider that helps cities and businesses manage their waste efficiently, lower their environmental footprint and improve their quality of services.

The smart waste management technology combines in-house produced smart sensors that monitor waste in real time with tracking and monitoring equipment and software providing digital transformation and data-driven decision making, which results in transparent waste streams, optimisation of waste collection routes, frequencies and vehicle loads, and the introduction of incentive programmes dedicated to decreasing waste production.

The smart waste management system has attracted cities and businesses around the world, and has been installed in more than 50 countries on five continents.

Sigfox in Germany is a part of the Heliot Group, the partner and operator of the global 0G IoT network for Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein.