Smart Bins for Waste Management

Smart Bins for Waste Management

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In 2020, Ireland generated 3.2 million tonnes of ‘municipal waste’. Of the 3.2 million tonnes, some 1.3 million tonnes were recycled in Ireland in 2020. This level of recycling produced a rate of 41%, meaning Ireland still has many improvements to make ahead of meeting EU recycling targets for 2025-2032 (up to 65% in 2035). The rate of recycling in Ireland was 29% in 2020, but it must reach 50% by 2025.

From an EPA Municipal Waste Characteristics Study 2018, the breakdown of findings for business waste found:

  • The share of cardboard has dramatically declined as a proportion of non-household waste, suggesting effective separate collection is taking place in commercial sectors.
  • 14,000 tonnes of coffee cups are being generated annually, making up 2% of non-household waste.
  • Tissue paper accounts for 10% of non-household waste.
  • Better Segregation of waste is needed to address the 70% of the General Waste bin that could potentially be collected in the brown bin or recycling bin.

Enviro FM offers sustainable facilities management solutions to the Irish market to help support large commercial and industrial facilities to achieve EU Goals from 2025-2035. By partnering with Envirogreen Recycling and PEL Waste Management Solutions, we offer smart waste management solutions to your facilities.

Enviro FM can help commercial clients address the need for better segregation of waste being put into general waste bins for incineration.

This article outlines:

  • Waste management
  • The Importance of Waste Management for facilities,
  • Smart bins and Smart technologies
  • The benefits of Smart bins for your facility

Waste Management

Waste management is the process of collecting, transporting, and disposing of waste materials generated by the day-to-day operations of your facility. It is an essential aspect of facilities management as it not only promotes environmental sustainability but also reduces costs associated with waste disposal. With the rise of smart technologies and Enviro FM partnering with PEL Waste Management Solutions, the waste management process has become more efficient and cost-effective than ever before.

Clients who work with Enviro FM can enjoy a streamlined facilities management package and other services such as facility waste management audits and carbon off-setting solutions on the back of the identified savings.

The Importance of Waste Management for Facilities

Facilities generate a significant amount of waste material daily. Without proper waste management, this waste can become hazardous and a risk to the facility and the well-being of occupants, which can lead to various health hazards. Furthermore, improper waste management can also damage the environment by contaminating full loads of recyclable materials with a non-recyclable disposable coffee cup, for example. If a recyclable load becomes contaminated, the whole load must then be sent to a landfill.

Therefore, it is essential for facilities to manage their waste in an efficient and sustainable manner. By implementing a proper waste management plan, facilities can reduce their environmental footprint, comply with regulations, and create a healthier and safer workplace.

Smart Technologies for Smart Bins

As technology continues to advance, waste management has become more efficient and streamlined. One such technology is the smart bin or BriteBin ™. BriteBin ™ is equipped with sensors that detect when a bin is full and automatically send a signal to the waste management team for collection. This eliminates the need for manual monitoring by staff, which enables staff to save time and concentrate on other tasks in the facility. Smart IoT bins with sensors also reduce the risk of overflowing bins, with the PEL IoT smart bin taking real-time fill level readings every 3 seconds. The reading of the bin takes 0.1 seconds to take and then send a signal reporting the level of waste in the bin.

Additionally, smart bins like the BriteBin ™ are equipped with compaction technology, which compresses the waste material until maximum capacity is reached, allowing for more waste to be stored in a single bin. As with the PEL IoT bin, the fill level is taken every 3 seconds. Once full, the BriteBin™ data management platform sends Enviro FM’s facilities management team a notification for collection. This results in fewer collections which reduces the overall cost of waste management and helps create a lower carbon footprint.

An environmental plus for BriteBin ™ is that they are Solar powered by daylight factor. These smart bins remove the need for single-use plastic bin liners and the 2 variations of the bins have 10-times (120 litres) and 20-times (240 litres) the capacity of regular street bins.

Benefits of Having Smart Bins at your Facility

Implementing smart bins at your facility can offer several benefits, including:

  • Increased efficiency

Smart bins eliminate the need for manual monitoring, resulting in more efficient waste collection and disposal. PEL IoT Smart Bins send notifications when a bin reaches maximum capacity.

  • Reduced Cost

By reducing the number of collections needed, smart bins can significantly reduce the overall cost of waste management.

  • Improved Hygiene:

PEL smart bins are either contactless or operate with a foot pedal meaning that users can easily dispose of waste without contaminating their hands.

  • Enhanced Sustainability

By reducing waste and promoting recycling, smart bins promote environmental sustainability and help facilities meet their sustainability goals by reducing waste collections contributing to a lower carbon footprint. PEL BriteBin ™ has compacting technology to enable more waste to be collected before collection. Collections of smart bins reduce by 90%.

  • Better Data Management

Smart bins can collect and analyse data on waste generation, allowing facilities to identify areas of improvement and optimize their waste management strategies by analysing trends over time. Data collected can empower facility users to follow a waste management plan provided by Enviro FM over a period of months, with regular audits carried out by Enviro FM to ensure the data is trending positively.

Waste management is an essential aspect of facilities management. With Enviro FM in partnership with PEL, the range of BriteBins™ and other waste management products has made the process more efficient and cost-effective than ever before.

You can contact Enviro today to arrange for us to conduct a waste management audit and methodology for the improvement of your facility’s waste management today.

By implementing smart bins at your facility, you can improve efficiency, reduce costs, promote sustainability, and create a healthier and safer workplace.

Key Takeaways

  • In 2020, Ireland generated 3.2 million tonnes of ‘municipal waste’. Of the 3.2 million tonnes, some 1.3 million tonnes were recycled in Ireland in 2020.
  • The rate of recycling in Ireland was 29% in 2020, but it must reach 50% by 2025.
  • Waste management is the process of collecting, transporting, and disposing of waste materials generated by the day-to-day operations of your facility.
  • If a recyclable load becomes contaminated, the whole load must then be sent to a landfill.
  • By implementing a proper waste management plan, facilities can reduce their environmental footprint, comply with regulations, and create a healthier and safer workplace.
  • Smart bins are equipped with sensors that detect when a bin is full and automatically send a signal to the waste management team for collection.
  • Smart bins like the BriteBin ™ are equipped with compaction technology, which compresses the waste material until maximum capacity is reached, allowing for more waste to be stored in a single bin.
Enviro FM welcomes James Granahan

Enviro FM Welcomes New Director of Operations for Southwest Ireland

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The board of directors at Enviro FM are delighted to announce the appointment of James Granahan, who will take up the role of Director of Operations for the Southwest of Ireland. James will report directly to the Leadership Team and play a key role in accelerating the growth of Enviro FM.

As a leader in sustainable facilities management solutions, this appointment underpins the strong growth and success of Enviro FM since its founding in September 2022 by Managing Director, David Casey.

Technical Director John Kinsella said:

“The board is delighted to welcome James to our organisation. James brings a wealth of facilities management experience, knowledge, and an innovative mindset to the Enviro FM team.

James has been working in the Facilities Management sector for 20+ years operating in a senior capacity and managing large diverse portfolios across Ireland. He has developed extensive industry knowledge, people management, client relationships, and multi-site management skills.

We look forward to welcoming James into the Enviro FM family and we wish him every success in his new Role.”

James said:

“I am delighted to be joining the Enviro FM team and working with our clients in the Southwest of Ireland, bringing them sustainable and bespoke facilities management solutions.

I am excited to be joining the company during its first year of operations. The vision is clear, and the path forward is exciting and challenging. I am looking forward to meeting and working with our clients and the Enviro FM team”.

About Enviro FM

Enviro Facilities Management was founded in 2022 as an indigenous Irish-owned facilities management company with a team comprising of sector-focused and client-orientated industry experts.

Our business was founded with a vision of delivering excellent service to our clients while focusing on sustainability and the environment.

Enviro FM offers innovative carbon capturing and carbon offsetting solutions to your business with Soletair Power and Afstor Solar Home and Cooker System. We also offer innovative waste management solutions through our partnership with PEL, supplying smart bins and other products.

Enviro FM certified in Alcumus Safe Contractor

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Enviro Facilities Management (Enviro FM) is a leader in sustainable facilities management solutions in Ireland, with the environment and sustainability at the core of everything we do.

We are delighted to announce that we have received a Certificate of Accreditation of Safe Contractor from Alcumus. Alcumus is an accreditation that showcases Enviro FM’s commitment to health, safety, and ethical policies and procedures.

Gaining accreditation gives our current clients and prospective clients confidence in Enviro FM.

 

Operations Director, Paudi Reidy says:

“This is a great milestone for Enviro FM to reach given the fact that we are such a young company. It is a testament to the work that has been done to date by our team in delivering high-quality sustainable facilities management services.

Being accredited with Alcumus, our client base can be confident that we continue to focus on our proven sustainable and ethical practices.”

What Alcumus Covers

In the process of applying for Alcumus, Enviro FM underwent a rigorous questionnaire that required the provision of relevant documentation and procedures such as:

  • Health & Safety Management
  • Enforcement Action and Accidents
  • Qualifications and Training
  • Industry Specific H&S Requirements
  • Insurances
  • Equality
  • Right to work
  • Quality Management
  • Risk Assessments
  • Insurance policies

Meeting these criteria underpins Enviro FM’s commitment to being a credible supplier that has the correct policies and procedures in place to continue our exciting growth.

Enviro FM Partners with Afstor

Enviro FM Partners with Afstor Solar Home and Cooker System

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Enviro FM is a leader in sustainable facilities management solutions in Ireland, with sustainability at the core of everything we do.

During a recent visit to Finland to identify the latest innovations for sustainability Managing Director David Casey met with Ari Piispanen, inventor and founder of Afstor (Solar Home and Cooker system). This system offers significant benefits for Carbon emissions reduction.

This new innovative system allows Enviro FM help clients to offset their carbon emissions while helping African families and enabling reforestation. Supporting this program will see 1,000 trees planted on your business’s behalf and the reduction of the felling of 4,000kgs of trees per family per annum.

Speaking on the partnership, Managing Director, David Casey, reflected; “this is a great partnership agreed with Ari and his team. This solution further underpins Enviro FM’s commitment to identifying solutions on behalf of the Irish market while focusing on its aim of being a sustainable facilities management company.

“We can help clients bring their ESG commitments to the fore with this practice of helping African families in need. This is truly carbon offsetting with a purpose.”

Clients will receive monthly reports direct from the Afstor Solar Home Cooker System. Hours of usage and the eliminated CO2 emissions. Clients can then attribute these savings to their sustainability footprint as measured by their ESG/CSR strategy.

What is Afstor Solar Home and Cooker System?

The Afstor Solar Home Cooker System produces clean energy for families in Africa for cooking, lighting, internet connection, and powering general home appliances.

The appliances supplied by Enviro FM on the behalf of Afstor will be 100% solar-powered with zero carbon emissions.

Afstor Solar Home and Cooker System how it works diagram

Power generated and stored in the battery of the Afstor unit from the solar panels will give African families up to three hours of power for cooking after sundown, reading, and using the internet.

The average 5-person family emits 6.2 tons of carbon as a result of burning wood to cook at present. The Afstor unit negates the need for open fires and offers a zero-carbon emissions solution.

The Challenges YOU can Help Solve.

In sub-Saharan Africa, some 840 million people in urban areas do not have access to electricity, and with the rapid population growth in these regions, an estimated 700 million people will continue without access by 2050.

Most families in Africa will continue to burn open fires, with the average family of five consuming 4,000kg of wood per year which produces 6,400kg of CO2. Women in developing countries spend 1.4 hours a day collecting firewood and four hours cooking.

The unsustainable levels of wood harvesting leads to high rates of deforestation, causing droughts, destruction of animals’ natural habitats, flooding, and other complex issues.

Enviro FM will help clients achieve tangible Carbon-offsetting results and evidence these results monthly for ESG leads to report back to their business.

Key Takeaways

  • David Casey and Ari Piispanen, inventor, and founder of Afstor, agreed on an exclusive partnership for Enviro FM to be the sole agent for Afstor Home Solar System in the Irish market.
  • Enviro FM will give monthly reports to clients who purchase the Afstor Home Solar System of its hours of usage and the eliminated CO2 emissions.
  • The appliances supplied by Enviro FM on the behalf of Afstor will be 100% solar-powered with zero carbon emissions.
  • Electricity generated and stored in the battery of the Afstor unit from the solar panels will give African families up to three hours of power.
  • The unsustainable levels of wood harvesting leads to high rates of deforestation, causing droughts, destruction of animals’ natural habitats, flooding, and other complex issues. You are helping to reverse this trend.

Speak to our Technical Team Today

Speak to our technical team today to get advice on how you can begin offsetting your carbon emissions.

Enviro FM partners with Soletair Power

Enviro FM Partners with Soletair Power

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Enviro FM is delighted to announce an exclusive partnership with Finnish carbon-capturing start-up, Soletair Power.

This strategic partnership underpins Enviro FM’s goal of providing exceptional service delivery with sustainability and environmental impact at the core of what we do.

Partnering with Soletair Power allows us to help clients take control of their CO2 emissions by installing and managing building-HVAC-integrated CO2 capture systems for clients to ensure their facilities meet CO2 regulations.

Managing Director, David Casey, reflecting on the news said;

“This is a great way to begin 2023 for Enviro FM entering a partnership with Soletair Power. To have a prestigious partner like Soletair on board in the early phase of growth is a massive advantage for our differentiated customer value. This partnership will significantly contribute to the growth of Enviro FM and our ambitious goal of being Carbon Neutral by 2030”.

About Soletair Power

Soletair Power is a Finnish start-up that was founded in 2016, working in the field of Direct Air Capture. The business contributes to global negative emissions by developing technology to directly capture CO2 from the air.

Carbon Capture for Building Owners

Carbon Capture in buildings can benefit both clients and the users of facilities. Building residents and/or workers can enjoy:

  • Enhanced wellbeing
  • Boosted productivity levels

For building owners, reducing carbon emissions is essential to meet European Union goals. Accurately removing carbon from their buildings can contribute to sustainability and zero-pollution efforts as the European Union aims to become the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050.

Under the new EU Proposal, the regulations will promote higher levels of transparency and trust among stakeholders in the industry and also aim to prevent greenwashing.

Enquire about Carbon Capture for your Facility

Contact Managing Director, David Casey