by Paula Guerra

The Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming increasingly present in the solid waste sector. It enables service providers to manage more efficiently by – for example – designing “smart” collection routes in which the exact amount of waste to be collected at each point is known, or designing the optimal collection route for a particular day based on truck capacity.

Thanks to IoT, the distance traveled per trip can be shortened by up to 30%, which can reduce greenhouse gas emissions (more than 10% for carbon dioxide (CO₂), and increase collection trucks’ life spans, among others.

What is the Internet of Things (IoT) and how does it work?

IoT is a worldwide technological and economic wave that enables devices such as sensors to be connected at the same time to the Internet to exchange information and communicate. The data is collected, stored, and integrated in a common language for all devices for further analysis, usually through Cloud computing.

Intelligent management of municipal solid waste

Sanitation, an operation-and-logistics-intensive sector, is transitioning towards digitalization through technological devices (hardware) such as GPS, sensors and scales that collect real time data for subsequent software analysis.

In 2023, the IDB conducted IoT pilot tests in cleaning services (sweeping, pruning and hydro washing) in three municipalities in Colombia to measure the impact of this digital technology on improving service provision.

The digitization of information improves decision making and provides more efficient and timely services, such as:

• Planning and digitalization of activities per workday: i) intervention area selection, ii) personnel designation, iii) resource allocation (gasoline, water, etc.).
• Validation and certification of operations: online reports at the start and completion of service provision complemented by mobile Apps for real-time monitoring and backup photos facilitate the analysis of planned versus executed tasks .
• Questions, complaints, and claims: reliable and timely digital information improves the channel of communication and transparency with end users.
• Projection and trend measurement: digitized historical and new data (projections and trends) improves decision making in the provision of services.

A “win-win”

The impact of the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) in solid waste management is positive for both decision makers and end users.

• In the case of service providers, the work plan can be optimized by up to 30%, allowing for a better distribution of resources and improved efficiency.

• For governmental, regulatory and control entities, real time information on the provision of services gives the opportunity to pay for the service rendered. Likewise, preventive inspections can be carried out, reducing complaints and claims by end users.

• The citizens/end users have better quality services and less environmental impact (CO₂ reduction, noise pollution, etc.).

In Latin America and the Caribbean, digital technologies are taking more and more space in services. The IDB, through Source of Innovation, promotes actions towards an efficient transition to digitalization and circularity in the solid waste sector.

Come to our Webinar!

To learn more about innovation tools and projects in the sector, join our webinar “Innovation in the solid waste sector in LAC” on June 5 at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

About Source of Innovation

Source of Innovation is a strategic alliance of the IDB Group with external partners to promote the development and adoption of innovative solutions in the water, sanitation and solid waste sectors, with the objective of achieving smart, inclusive and sustainable services, with a focus on service providers in Latin America and the Caribbean. Source of Innovation is funded by the Government of Switzerland, through its State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the Republic of Korea, through its Ministry of Environment, the Government of Spain, through its Ministry of Economy, Trade and Enterprise (MINECO), the Government of Israel, through its Ministry of Finance, the FEMSA Foundation and the Coca-Cola Foundation. The partnership also benefits from direct contributions from IDB Lab and the IDB’s Water and Sanitation Division. In addition, it maintains close coordination with the Aquafund, created with IDB capital and to which a wide range of public and private sector partners contribute.

Guest author

Paula Guerra. Solid waste and innovation Consultant for the IDB. Previously she worked at the Ministry of Environment of Ecuador as manager of the National Solid Waste Management Program, and in the Municipality of Quito as Coordinator of Logistics and Recycling in the city’s sanitation company. She has worked as a consultant for different entities in Latin America. She has a Master’s in Sustainable Development from the University of London and advanced studies in Solid Waste Management with UNESCO IHE.