First smart solar bin installed on Yeppoon beach front
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The Livingstone Shire is now home to its first solar-powered smart bin which compacts waste and reduces collections to help keep the community clean and green.
The Bigbelly Solar Compactor, designed by Solar Bins Australia, uses clean energy from its solar panels to compact waste, enabling an increased amount of rubbish to be stored during periods of high use and reducing the number of garbage collections.
Livingstone Shire Council Mayor Bill Ludwig said the use of the solar-powered smart bin was a significant benefit to the community.
“Council is eager to explore and adopt innovative technologies which improve the sustainability of the Capricorn Coast region,” Mayor Ludwig said.
“The solar-powered smart bin works by using the sun’s energy to power an internal compactor which compresses the waste, reducing the potential for the bin to overflow.
“It also reduces the number of collection trips, so there will be fewer garbage trucks travelling down the street.”
The solar-powered smart bin can hold up to five times as much waste as a conventional wheelie bin and sends an email and text to Council staff when the bin is 85% full.
Council staff can monitor progress on their desktops and smartphones, eliminating the “milk round” type of garbage collections.
Mayor Bill Ludwig said the aim of the installation was to support innovation, create efficiencies and promote environmental messages in high pedestrian traffic areas.
“The Capricorn Coast is one of the fastest growing regions outside of south-east Queensland. As the population expands, we need to adopt more efficient ways for collecting and managing waste,” he said.
The Bigbelly Solar Compactor bins have been used all around the world in cities like New York and London, as well as Townsville and Bondi Beach.
The project was partly funded by the Australian Government Smart Cities and Suburbs initiative to implement smart cities technology within the Yeppoon Town Centre.