Fanø Municipality optimises collections at recycling stations: The goal is to reduce costs by 25 per cent

Over the past few years, Fanø Municipality has modernised their six super recycling collection points and eight regular recycling stations. The latter primarily services the island's approx. 3,400 permanent residents and includes the collection of, among other things, cardboard, plastic, and cans. Most super recycling collection points are close to the island's approx. 2,900 summer cottages, and they also offer a collection of organic and residual waste.

Impossible to plan

At Fanø Municipality, Mads Sørensen, senior engineer in the technical administration, says that it is almost impossible to plan in advance an efficient emptying of the total of 82 containers that are distributed at the 14 recycling collection points. In the areas with permanent residents, the containers are typically filled within half to a full month. In the summer cottage areas, it varies from 1-2 days to several weeks. All containers are of the semi-buried type and hold up to three cubic meters of waste.

"We simply cannot plan our collections because a few days of sunshine can completely change the situation. So far, collections have been based on 'gut feeling' and how we usually do things," says Mads Sørensen.

"There is simply a need for proper data and documentation so that we can have the best possible basis for deciding when the containers should be emptied and how we ensure the most efficient route. Emptying at fixed intervals makes no sense and leads to too much unnecessary driving," he adds. 

More internet shopping and increased environmental awareness among citizens and tourists have increased the amount of recycling material in the local collection points so that the need for emptying is approx. 20 per cent greater than when the offer was made at the time. So, there is a need to get better operating economics and at the same time protect the citizens against overloaded waste containers.

Sensors create overview

This summer, Fanø Municipality chose to install BrainyBins Ultra sensors and BrainyBins software for all the island's 82 containers. Both parts are supplied by the Sønderborg company Maacks, which specialises in digitisation of waste management.

This brings Fanø Municipality to the forefront with the use of fill-level sensors that are based on Internet of Things (IoT), a technology which connects things via the Internet, so that they can continuously send the needed data - in this case, about the containers. 

The sensors are installed at the top of the containers, where they measure the filling level and pass this data on to the municipality via Cloud. The signals are sent up to 60 times a day via the nationwide Sigfox network. It ensures minimal battery consumption, low costs, and good coverage.  

"On my computer screen, I now have a complete overview of all the containers, and the fill level of each is marked with green, yellow, or red. Based on this information, I mark the containers that need to be emptied and create a route plan, which I then send to the contractor, who receives it in an app. The same app is used by the contractor to report when the containers have been emptied. As additional support, I can see the fill level history for each container and thus assess how urgent it is to empty it," explains Mads Sørensen. 

Good results

The BrainyBins sensors and the BrainyBins software have now been tested for approx. two months and the experiences are good, says Mads Sørensen. When the sensor detects that the container is 90 per cent full, then it is right. In the beginning, the accuracy was not so good, but in collaboration with Maacks, we found out that the sensor should be placed slightly differently to avoid false signals. In addition, a built-in algorithm ensures that the sensor is constantly learning and becoming more accurate.

"We expect that installing sensors to measure the fill levels in our containers will be economically beneficial, and that the investment will pay for itself within a reasonable timeframe," summarises Mads Sørensen.

The goal is to reduce collections by up to 25 per cent, bringing the number down to the original bid level.

According to Mads Sørensen, experiences from the first two months show that the number of collections has been reduced by 20 per cent, and the municipality is already close to the goal of a 25 per cent reduction, bringing the number of collections down to the original bid level.

FACTS

1.
The BrainyBins sensor is placed in the container, where it measures fill level, possibly temperature, location, etc. The installed battery has a long lifespan, and all parts of the sensor can be disassembled and correctly recycled.

2.
Data is transmitted wirelessly, up to 60 times a day, via the nationwide Sigfox network and processed in the BrainyBins system.

3.
The employees have automatic access via app or PC to measurements, statistics, administration of emptying the containers etc.

The Sigfox-network is a safe, economical, and environment-friendly low-energy network, connecting the units to the internet with the purpose of getting things measurable and thus enable the IoT.

The contractor is connected

"The contractor might be a little worried because he fears having to empty fewer containers, but he doesn't need to be," says Mads Sørensen. "He won't have to spend time checking containers that turn out to be only half full and don't make sense to empty and invoice. Additionally, his administrative work is reduced because he receives the invoicing basis directly via the app. It's a natural part of the project that the contractor will be connected to the system as the next step this fall."

"When the contractor is connected, he will receive the emptying orders directly from the system. Until then, we are managing the route planning ourselves," says Mads Sørensen. "It is easy and manageable with the software from Maacks, which is an integrated part of the solution with the BrainyBins sensors. At the risk of sounding too promotional, it has a really good user interface," emphasizes Mads Sørensen. 

Mads Sørensen also experiences other advantages. The complaints from citizens about the lack of emptying the waste containers can now easily be documented by the municipality, e.g., it is now possible to document whether the containers have been emptied or not.

More sensors for Fanø Municipality

In October, the municipality ordered more BrainyBins Radar sensors for their containers, which will be installed as soon as possible.