Wi-fi-enabled bins installed at Russell and Paihia

Smart bins are being installed in Paihia, Russell, Kawakawa, Ōpononi and Pukenui.

The new bins use sensors that detect rubbish levels and alert maintenance contractors when they are nearing capacity and need to be emptied. A built-in solar-powered compactor means the bins can take up to five times more rubbish than a standard waste bin.

The smart bins, supplied by Manco Environmental, have now been installed at the popular waterfront destinations of Paihia and Russell, where overflowing rubbish bins have been a significant problem during the summer tourism season. Providing extra temporary bins increases operating costs, negatively impacts the aesthetics of the local environment, and rarely solves the problem.

The smart bin’s compacting and online alert systems prevent rubbish overflow and ensure that waste collectors empty the bins only when necessary. For remote locations, the ability to service bins only when they are full will help to eliminate rubbish overflow problems and reduce travel costs and the council’s carbon footprint.

The opportunity to deploy solar-powered smart bins in tourism hotspots was made possible by a successful application to the government’s Tourism Infrastructure Fund. Additional smart bins have been applied for in the latest round of Tourism Infrastructure Funding.