Smart Bins - Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council looked to improve the efficiency of its public waste collection service and reduce operational costs and emissions. In December 2014, the Council purchased 400 smart Big Belly bins to trial within the DLR area.

Smart bins come with a built-in solar compactor, which gets triggered when rubbish reaches a certain level. As the rubbish is compacted, the capacity is up to eight times greater than a traditional bin. The bin is wifi-enabled, so can communicate with the relevant waste management division when the waste reaches 85% capacity. This system means that the Council can monitor real-time levels of waste, and better plan and organise waste collection based on actual waste levels.

This smart waste system has provided a number of benefits, such as lower emissions due to the reduction in the number of bin collections required by the Council’s fleet vehicles, and this improved efficiency within the fleet has reduced energy consumption by 85,000 kWh per year.