Edinburgh Council Plans Sensor-Driven Glass Recycling System to End Fixed Collections

Edinburgh’s council intends to discontinue regular glass recycling collections by utilizing sensors to determine when bins are full. This initiative, which forms part of the council’s strategy to become a ‘smart city’, also aims to lessen noise for residents living near communal bin areas. More than 3,000 bins across the capital are set to transition to ‘dynamic’ collections, meaning they will only be emptied once they are nearly full. The council plans to fully implement the dynamic collection service in the new year, once sensor installation is complete. The council stated that this new method seeks to reduce noise for local residents and enhance the efficiency of waste collection. Data gathered from the sensors will also help identify bins with low usage, which could potentially be removed from streets. A report from the council’s transport and environment committee indicated that approximately 3,400 communal glass recycling bins are situated throughout the city, with 2,700 already equipped with these sensors. It noted that around 700 sensors still require installation before the full dynamic collection service can be launched. The report stated: “This means there will be no fixed collection schedule for on-street bins as they will be collected on a demand-basis linked directly to sensor data.” The council also plans to offer residents the chance to propose alternative locations for glass collections, aiming to establish more centralized hubs. The council report mentioned it would consider feedback after the system has been operational for several months next year. The report on the plan indicated that noise from glass recycling was ‘highly variable’ and that finding a solution to reduce the sound level was challenging. It added: “There is a limit to what the structure of the bottle bank can do to dampen noise level.” Additional reporting by Marie Sharp, Local Democracy Reporting Service Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.