RFID in Waste Management

In recent years, waste management services have made a concerted effort to use information technology to reduce waste management costs and to identify missing/stolen bins. The application of these principles can be facilitated by the use of mobile technology such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).

RFID is a modern and fast-growing technology that uniquely and accurately identifies an RFID tag (waste tag) attached to, or embedded in, a waste bin which helps in the identification and traceability of waste bins.

By using RFID tags, waste can be identified and tracked through the entire waste chain. Many jurisdictions and private sector operations have attached RFID tags to waste containers and equipped their trucks with RFID readers thereby improving sortation, validating and verifying pickups, tracking the number of times a container is used for collection as well as tracking the weight of the container’s contents at each and every pickup. A waste management system using RFID simplifies billing for service.

RFID is now being used by municipalities and private operators to monitor waste pickup. Waste disposal trucks equipped with RFID readers pick up bins that are equipped with RFID tags. The readers record the exact time and location every time a waste container is emptied. This introduces a new degree of monitoring and control of the waste disposal process. With an RFID based system operators have accurate and real-time data that can be used for customer billing as well as route and resource planning. The real-time aspect allows municipalities to monitor the performance of contractors.

Waste containers come in many forms, materials, and sizes, but they are all subject to harsh environments and rough handling. Being outdoors, waste containers face all the elements: cold, wet and heat and being waste containers, endure both human and machine abuse. Only RFID tags can withstand these conditions and continue functioning throughout the life cycle of these containers.

Omnia Technologies produces Wastebin tags which are manufactured in such a manner that they can withstand any harsh conditions like extreme cold, heat, rains, etc. Also, these tags can be customized according to the requirement of the customer.

Benefits of using RFID in Waste Management:

1. Easier recovery of lost or stolen carts.

2. Easy accounting of travel routes of garbage trucks and automatic recording for each individual cart pickup with no required driver interaction on the pick-up route.

3. Cheaper, faster, more accurate data reporting. No manual data entry is required.

4. Easier waste sorting at the household level.

5. An unprecedented degree of control and traceability in disposing of hazardous or otherwise sensitive waste material.

6. Fewer collection points and containers required for recycling.

7. Less cleaning and maintenance work on recycling