Bins full, so we litter?

Feng Zengkun The Straits Times AsiaOne 21 May 15;

PEOPLE who claim they litter because the rubbish bins are always full may not have that excuse for much longer.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) has started a pilot project to fit rubbish bins with sensors that can detect when they are full, and track whether waste collectors are doing their jobs properly.

The "litter-bin management system" could also help the collectors to quickly empty full bins and to identify areas that may need more of them.

According to government procurement website Gebiz, NEA awarded local start-up Mobiquest a contract worth nearly $1.5 million at the end of January to install and manage a system to monitor the locations of up to 10,000 bins and the fullness of an estimated 250 bins.

The value of the contract, of which two years are optional, includes four years of maintenance and other services related to the system.

Mobiquest yesterday declined to provide details of the project.

In its tender documents for the contract, NEA said it wanted the system to be able to "track and map the locations of litter bins, and to monitor the activities of the agency's cleaning service providers".

The Straits Times understands that the waste collectors' work could be tracked using a positioning sensor in the bins that correspond to an application on, say, their mobile phones.

This could tell NEA when the collectors were near the bins, and whether they were following their cleaning schedules.

NEA also wanted to be able to detect the bins' fullness so it could monitor both the collectors' performance as well as the public's use of the bins.

Environmentalists in Singapore said they hoped rubbish bins in places with high human traffic, such as bus interchanges, would have the fullness detection sensors as littering typically occurs in such areas.

Ms Melissa Tan, chairman of the Waste Management and Recycling Association of Singapore, said such sensors could be used to help alleviate labour shortages in the waste collection industry.

"This technology could help us to deploy manpower only when the bin is full," she said. "The public waste collectors now do daily collection for HDB blocks but sometimes that's not necessary."

Separately, Mobiquest will be showcasing its smart waste-management system, which has other features, at the upcoming CommunicAsia2015, EnterpriseIT2015 and BroadcastAsia2015.

The three events to be held at Marina Bay Sands from June 2 to 5 are expected to see about 1,800 exhibitors from 56 countries and regions. Entry to the exhibitions is free.

The spotlight this year is on smart technologies to better connect cities, governments, firms and people.

Other technologies to be demonstrated at the events will include DFRC Singapore's City Analyser, which uses sensors that measure mobile phone signals to collect anonymous data about crowd movements and behaviour.

Businesses and governments can use it to better understand people's habits and preferences.

Also, Singapore firm Skyshot will launch its TBox Titan, said to be a first-of-its-kind armoured and weather-proof time-lapse camera system.

'Smart bins' let cleaners know when they need attention
JORDON SIMPSON Today Online 20 May 15;

SINGAPORE — A homegrown smart waste management system, in the form of rubbish bins that can send out alerts to cleaners when they are full, is expected to help increase the efficiency of trash removal around the island.

Known as netBin, the system’s key features include smart bins which are equipped with a variety of sensors that can also notify cleaners of the bins’ locations, or even warn them of a fire, among other things.

Developed by Singapore company Mobiquest, the system is designed to minimise the overflowing of rubbish bins, and to help cleaners work more efficiently.

It is among the technologies featured today (May 20) during a media preview of the upcoming CommunicAsia2015, EnterpriseIT2015 and BroadcastAsia2015, which will be held at Marina Bay Sands next month.

With netBin, data from the sensors will be collected for analysis and transmitted to cleaners and their supervisors by 3G network in 15-minute intervals. The batteries in the sensors can last for up to five years.

The data will be able to show statistics for dustbins in the area, so that cleaners can formulate collection routes around just the bins that need servicing. It can also identify areas in the bin network that are over capacity and require backup.

The National Environment Agency awarded the contract for the litter bin management system to Mobiquest in January this year.

The system, touted as the first of its kind, is required to manage 10,000 bins.

Speaking to TODAY after the media preview, Mr Neo Teck Guan, director of Huawei’s solutions marketing department for the South Pacific region, noted that a sensor network is a key element in creating a smart-nation platform.

“The data collected (from the network) then can be analysed and used to create a lot of solutions. Safe city is one big area. For example, I can catch people doing illegal parking, or create an emergency command centre to stop riots. The opportunities are endless,” said Mr Neo, whose company will be taking part in the exhibitions.

The three exhibitions, which will be held from June 2 to June 5, will bring together more than 1,800 exhibitors from 56 countries to showcase the latest technologies.