GreenPak’s iBiNs double plastic waste recovery

The introduction of innovative iBiNs by GreenPak Cooperative Society at the beginning of this year has helped increase the recovery of plastic waste, according to a press statement sent to Business Malta. Latest figures show that between January and May 2019 plastic waste recovery nearly doubled when compared to the same period in 2018.

GreenPak replaced traditional recycling skips with smart technology-equipped iBiNs in 42 localities the collector serves, earlier this year. The installation was also accompanied by the launch of an online application that helps citizens locate the bins.

“As the figures amply show, iBiNs are positively impacting on recycling in both Malta and Gozo as they are making it easier and more efficient for people to recycle, anytime, anywhere,” said Mario Schembri, GreenPak’s CEO.

During the first five months of this year, over 253,000 kg of plastics were recovered, equivalent to 3,162,500 plastic bottles, according to the press release.

Between January and May 2019, GreenPak also registered an increase of 39% in recovered paper and glass materials when compared to the same five-month period in 2018.

“For us at GreenPak, world environment day is practically every day — 365 days a year. Recycling serves to protect and improve the environment which today is globally recognised as being seriously threatened through, among others, the depletion of its raw materials,” commented Mr Schembri.

“Our day-to-day work and operations serve as a tangible platform for public outreach across Malta and Gozo. Using our latest technological system, today we know that in 2019 there has not been a single day when citizens did not use GreenPak’s iBiNs to recycle,” Mr Schembri added.

The intelligent bins are able to measure their fill-level and transmit the information to a central system using Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technology, delivered to the island nation by Vodafone Malta, which the service provider says is the first such ecosystem in Malta.

Following last month’s official launch of the iBiNs link, in collaboration with Vodafone, more significant results are expected in the coming months, as the press release says, as this link via mobile phone will be directing the person to the nearest empty iBiN, meaning more efficient use of time and less driving trying to locate an empty bin.

The web app is available on the official website of GreenPak; no download is necessary. Furthermore, it is screen-responsive, which means that it works on any device such as smartphones, tablets, portable computers and others.

Editorial Note: The present article was updated with additional information about the IoT technology delivered by Vodafone Malta.