Designed to monitor the fill levels of recycling bins and apply clever algorithms, these sensors will help increase the accuracy of recycling rates. This vital information allows Northern Trains to reach their goal of recycling 70% of their waste this year, as set by the Department of Transport. The data also allows Northern Trains to monitor and test the impact of various schemes to encourage recycling across their stations.
Installed on the underside of front-end loader and commercial recycling bin lids, these sensors use a time-of-flight sensor that measures from the top of the bin to the base. The volume of waste inside the bin can then be calculated, as well as alerting whether the lid is open or closed - particularly important for safety at uncrewed stations.
This information is then relayed back to Northern via the national network of IoT infrastructure (such as LoRaWAN or NBIoT networks), which is captured by the cloud and translated into a user-friendly dashboard.
In their own words
"Northern came to us with a challenge about managing bins more effectively, mainly at uncrewed sites. We have a really customer-centric approach to working with others to find solutions. The future of this project is really exciting; it's evolved over three years. We continue to road test and review its potential in helping efficiency and the effectiveness."Kieran Ball, Project Manager · Biffa
"To work with organisations that have that desire to be innovative and actually use technology for good is fantastic. Northern Trains were very keen to use technology in their remit to improve their sustainability. They wanted to improve their levels of recycling and having run two smaller-scale pilots over the last couple of years, we've proven that our bin sensor technology works - they've been able to gather some really, really valuable data which is showing that they are on the right track."Emma Mahy, CEO & Co-founder · IoT Solutions Group
"We work with customers to provide solutions that deliver real value; we don't just try to shoehorn technology into an organisation but can make changes to the product and software to provide data insights that really make a difference. We're able to do that because all of our products we design ourselves, they are manufactured in the UK, we're proud to own all of the IP, and the software platform is our own."Emma Mahy, CEO & Co-founder · IoT Solutions Group
The technology in brief
277 sensors installed across Northern Trains stations. Each sensor uses time-of-flight technology to measure fill levels in real time, reporting back via LoRaWAN and NBIoT. The resulting data helps waste management teams optimise collection routes, reduce unnecessary journeys, and demonstrate recycling performance against Department of Transport targets.
Do you have a specific remote monitoring challenge that you are looking to solve in your organisation? Our team of IoT experts would love to hear from you.