The solar-powered Bigbelly smart bins which send alerts when they are full, and serve as Wi-Fi hot spots now line a small stretch between two Orchard Road malls, based on a report from The Straits Times.
Ten bins have been located along the 500m outdoor pedestrian walkway between Wisma Atria and Mandarin Gallery.
On Tuesday (November 15), technology firm Terra Sol and the Orchard Road Business Association (Orba) launched a three-month pilot trial of these bins after a year of planning. The bins will be fully operational by the end of the week.
The smart bins have sensors that detect how full they are. They can send e-mail or text message alerts to the cellphones of cleaners. These bins’ capacity can be eight times more than the normal bin due to the compactor that can crunch waste material.
Imported from the United States, the bins are also solar powered and self-sufficient when it comes to energy. They can store power for periods when there is no sunlight. The peak solar power capacity of one bin is 50 watt hour.
The report detailed that shoppers will be able to log on to the bins’ Wi-Fi network, which is provided by telco StarHub. The radius of a bin’s Wi-Fi coverage is 30m. Shoppers can log in using their Facebook or Weibo accounts. They will be allowed to surf the Web for 15 minutes each time before they have to log in again. The free Wi-Fi will be available from 11:00am – 9:00pm daily.
According to Mr Steven Goh, the executive director of Orba, the smart bin move can enhance the environment by reducing litter left on the ground by shoppers due to full bins. He also said that the bins can also give retailers a way to promote their brands.
Mr Jason Kumar, the co-founder of Terra Sol, stated that the bins will likely only need to be cleared once a day, because of their compacting feature, as opposed to the five to seven times a day currently. Terra Sol conducted previous trials at Changi Airport and Fusionopolis.
