Moving towards on-demand waste management with the help of the IoT
In late November, Enevo Oy’s sensors that monitor the fill level of waste containers were installed in four of VVO Group’s Lumo properties in Helsinki. Their aim is to increase the transparency and real-time monitoring of waste management as well as to enable the on-demand emptying of waste containers in the future. Enevo manufactures, sells and markets a solution that collects and analyses data received from waste containers with the aid of sensors, enabling cost-efficient waste collection.
The device transmits the waste container status data over a 3G network to a cloud service. VVO’s goal is to be among the first to harness the IoT for on-demand waste management.
“In layman’s terms, it is a question of sensors installed in waste containers of housing companies, measuring and reporting on how the containers fill up and when they should be emptied. The fill level can be viewed online via a user interface. The new cloud service contributes to housing service development that aims at high-quality waste management, which is a strategic goal for VVO Group. We want to be a pioneer in promoting on-demand waste management,” says Ayla Dincay, Energy and Environment Specialist at VVO Group plc.
Having waste collection trucks go around only as needed is environmentally friendly
Data generated by Enevo’s sensor helps in optimising waste collection truck routes and waste container emptying schedules in real time. The service produces information, reports and statistics about when waste containers have been emptied and what the weight of the material is at the moment the container is emptied. In addition, it triggers an alert in case of partial emptying, temperature changes or overfilling.
The most significant criteria for VVO in launching the pilot includes the improvement of the transparency of waste management service and on-demand emptying of waste containers.
“It is important that in the future, we will be able to evaluate the actual need for emptying waste containers: we will know where overfilling or underfilling takes place. Hopefully, it will be possible to avoid unnecessary waste collection rounds and, on the other hand, to increase the number of rounds per month as needed. This enables better preparedness for the impact of peak seasons, such as Christmas.”
Already at the pilot phase, residents can also get credentials for the user interface and monitor how the containers at their own waste collection point fill up.
Under the Lumo and VVO brands, VVO Group Plc offers versatile and effortless rental solutions coupled with an extensive range of housing services for different life situations. VVO Group aims to invest heavily in increasing housing supply in the next three years by developing new properties and buying existing properties.