Tag Archives: use of technology in waste management

How IoT, APIs and AI Can Make Waste Management Smarter?

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Cities have been growing around the globe in the past few years. A United Nations report has estimated that about 68% of the world’s total population will be living in urban centers by the year 2050. This will see an increase of about 70% in solid waste, according to the World Bank.

This might be difficult to handle considering that the world is already facing challenges handling waste management. An increase in solid waste might see increased illegal dumping which might lead to other challenges, especially in public health.

Fortunately, advancements in technology have seen some parts of the world adopting IoT (Internet of Things), AI (Artificial Intelligence), and APIs (Applications Programming Interfaces) in a bid to make waste management smarter.

how can IoT and AI make waste management better

How can IoT, APIs, and AI make waste management better?

1. e-Waste Kiosks

Among the different types of waste that you can find in a waste bin, you will also find electronic gadgets. This kind of waste is known as e-waste. The toxicological implications of e-waste, things such as laptops. MP3 players, tablets, and phones can hurt both human beings and the environment.

They, therefore, have to be recycled well to avoid these effects. Fortunately, technology can be used to build e-waste kiosks that use smart applications to evaluate and determine the condition of electronic devices.

Those that are in bad condition and already hurting their owners or the environment can then be disposed of correctly.

2. Sensors for Waste Levels

Sensors powered by APIs, IoT, and AI can be used to implement a smart waste management system that works well for cities. These sensors can be used to track how much waste a bin has accumulated and then share that information with collection service providers.

The collection service providers will not only use this information for collection when the bins are full but also for planning and prediction. For instance, they can time routes and predict when to collect a bin based on the time that a bin takes before getting full.

Research has indicated that these sensors can help reduce the cost of waste management by about 50%. This is because waste bins can be collected on time, eliminating other maintenance requirements that arise from overfilling of the bins.

3. Waste Receptacles

Using Artificial Intelligence, waste collection service providers can build waste bins that come with waste receptacles to sort through waste, recognize different types of waste, and separate them depending on the requirements of the waste collectors.

For instance, if you were to manually sort through a waste bin in a city, you will find different types of waste. Things such as plastics, glasses, nylon papers, or even food waste will be mixed in the bin.

If you were to separate them manually, this would take you a lot of time. Technology has changed this. Using AI receptacles, waste can be sorted into different categories. This plays a crucial role in the transition to smart waste management.

4. AI-Powered Recycling Robots

Looking at a waste bin, you are likely going to find a lot of waste that can be recycled. However, how long can it take a person to manually separate the waste that can be recycled from the one that cannot?

Through AI and APIs, companies can build robots that do this for them. For this to work, understanding what an API is very important. This is because the APIs communicate and share data in a bid to help the robots differentiate different types of waste.

With such robots, waste such as plastic can be reused. Different types of waste that can be reused can be sent to companies for recycling instead of landfills. Using these robots, human error can be eliminated and operational costs reduced.

Benefits of Digital Technologies in Waste Management

5. Load Monitoring of Garbage Tracks

We have talked about sensors for waste levels in waste bins above. These bins are emptied into garbage tracks. So, it also makes sense for waste collection service providers to also put sensors into their garbage tracks.

By doing this, the waste collection service providers will be able to monitor the levels of waste on their garbage tracks. This way, they can collect data that can be used to predict when their tracks are likely going to fill up.

With such information, they can find ways to minimize or reduce the number of trips they have to make when collecting garbage. Over some time, they will be able to analyze the collected data to help in future planning and minimizing operational costs.

As technology advances, we are going to see more technologies making waste management better and smarter.

How Digital Technologies Enable Efficient Waste Management

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Computer-based technology continues to transform our lives and lead to innovation in industries crucial to the earth’s ecological balance. One such sector benefiting from new inventions is waste management, which is responsible for keeping communities clean through waste removal and recycling. This sector utilizes digital tools that work together to advance global sustainability efforts and ensure the smooth running of operations at waste management companies.

To learn more, here’s how digital technology enables efficient waste management:

Benefits of Digital Technologies in Waste Management

Management Through Cloud-Based Software

The waste management process has become more streamlined thanks to smart waste management software and cloud computing. These computer applications help in tracking, customer service, controlling, monitoring, scheduling, organizing, and optimizing waste collection and administration. They give a digitized outline of locations where waste needs to be managed. It means displaying real-time data on bin waste levels, dumpster truck routing, and overall waste inventory.

This technology can also be used in entire districts on a large scale or by a single waste collection company. The whole management operation can be done in a semi-automated process between a waste collector and an IT company, such as https://fusioncomputing.ca/ and similar ones for running and management. The information generated by these programs creates a large volume of data that requires cloud services to transmit and store. Thus, it becomes necessary to be on a cloud-based platform to maintain efficiency.

Pneumatic Sorting

Separating waste is essential to reducing the chances that its byproducts don’t end up in a landfill and pollute the environment. It’s also necessary to classify waste according to recyclable materials and those that need a different disposal method.

While waste management industries mostly still use manual labor to carry out this process, the ongoing development of digital technology is likely to change this in the form of robots. Industrial robotics is an emerging science where robots are created to use pneumatic or sensor-based sorting to deconstruct waste into its simplest parts.

waste-management-sweden

These robots use detectors and computerized image recognition to identify what rubbish can be dismantled to reuse or throw away its components. Doing this increases waste sorting efficiency and operational effectiveness by saving time, labor, and floor space in waste management plants.

Automation Through AI

Artificial intelligence can improve the waste management industry by providing solutions on how to optimize operations. These AI and neural networks can, among many things, use data to pinpoint the causes of waste within a particular sector. It then uses this information to configure the best possible model for a waste management company to reduce the amount of waste produced or give sustainable solutions on how to dispose of it.

For instance, an AI system can weigh food ingredients in a restaurant against usage frequency. Then, it can be used to determine how much product is needed to reduce waste and improve food waste management. Another AI application is through autonomous waste cleaning machines such as street sweepers. These processes are completed through automation and machine learning algorithms to minimize human involvement.

Smart Technology Products

It’s no secret that the internet of things is revolutionizing how people live. This constant connection of physical devices and goods to the internet and computer software also impacts waste management. Technology products such as smart bins, e-waste recycling kiosks, and waste level sensors have become commercially available for consumers, businesses, and high-density cities.

smart waste management

AI-based waste management systems can help in route optimization and waste disposal

These devices can process materials for recycling faster and eliminate the human error that comes with incorrect recycling. Sensors can detect the levels of waste in a dumpster or trashcan to inform waste management when bins need to be collected. Doing this maximizes resource use, leading to cleaner urban environments by preventing overflowing rubbish from polluting the surrounding area.

Data Analysis

Data analysis is key to utilizing digital technology in waste management optimization. Information collected through cloud services, smart technology, and AI can optimize waste management. It can be done by discovering patterns that lead to developing a more efficient business model, enhancing accuracy, and reducing costly errors.

For instance, data analysis can help identify better routes for refuse removal trucks or how to eliminate the amount of unrecyclable waste that mistakenly lands up in landfills. It can also calculate and estimate trends and the volume of waste produced within an area and evaluate how efficient the current management system is to make improvements where applicable.

Conclusion

Smart waste management technologies enables efficient waste management through computer software, data utilization, and artificial intelligence. These systems can be integrated and automated using smart devices that work together to improve operations such as waste sorting and waste level detection.

Furthermore, digital technology in waste management contributes to greater efficiency by using data analytics to discover trends and identify patterns that can be used to construct a better business model for the waste management company. In the end, although humans will always play a role in waste management, future technology will increasingly take over most of the labor involved.