Source: Enevo.

According to Gunst, one recent example of growing interest in smart waste management is a group of local government agencies in Victoria, Australia, who joined together to create a so-called ASPIRE software tool. The tool helps businesses cut waste disposal costs by matching them with other businesses which can put the waste to good use.

- The aim of the software is to enable manufacturers and councils to reduce the amount of waste that goes into the landfill, reducing waste costs and improving the economic development in the region. Another good example is the city of Detroit in the United States that launched a project called the Reuse Opportunity Collaboration, which brings together business and industry to create closed-loop systems where waste from one source becomes another’s raw materials, adds Gunst.

New Ways to Process Waste?

The main drivers behind today's circular economy initiatives are cost efficiency, reduced waste and airborne emissions. Legislation and regulation are also playing an increasing role. In December, the European Union adopted a new circular economy package that could provide new opportunities for forward-thinking cities to accelerate transformations of how they manage and process waste in 2016 and beyond.

- The EU’s announcement targets recycling levels of 65 percent for municipal waste by 2030, along with 75 percent of packing waste and a reduction to 10 percent maximum landfill waste during the same period. Policy makers, city officials and citizens increasingly understand that more sustainable resource use is of vital importance for our communities as we move forward, Gunst says.

Waste collection and processing represent a significant burden to many cities putting them under pressure to reduce costs. This is especially true as populations in many cities are growing.

- The good news is that new technology solutions have reached maturity and are proven to reduce collection costs significantly as well as the physical impact of waste collection whilst also increasing efficiency, cleanliness and reducing complaints.

Towards Proactive Recycling

According to Gunst new data-driven waste analysis and collection approaches are making it possible for cities to switch from being reactive about the levels of types of waste they are collecting to knowing in advance what waste is being generated and where.

- This significant point of change is a gateway to proactive recycling that harnesses many environmental and resource benefits. The IoT, incorporating big data analysis, smart monitoring and predictive software modelling enables this step change in how we approach and manage waste in urban environments.

- Field-proven technology will enable more cities in 2016 to demonstrably cut costs, reduce their environmental impact as well as increase recycling. As old waste management contracts expire, we believe that more and more cities will embrace these new ways of managing waste for the benefit of all stakeholders, Gunst concludes.

Enevo is a Finland-based company that provides a predictive solution that automates the whole planning and operations of waste and recycling logistics. The so-called Enevo ONe solution combines IOT technology and real-time data and analytics, including trend data from fill-level sensors in waste containers, for optimized planning and routing of collection services. A key component is a self-learning routing engine that adapts to day-to-day changes in demand and enables service providers to cut costs and improve customer service and satisfaction.

The company's key customers are municipal and private waste management and recycling companies.