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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.