GreenPak also noted that people should be more considerate about sorting their waste appropriately in order to use their recently installed smart-technology-run iBiNs to their fullest potential.

“The iBiNs send fill levels notice to GreenPak and collections are scheduled according to these readings. It is frustrating that while iBiNs are reporting available void, some individuals cannot be bothered to place the materials inside the bin,” said GreenPak’s CEO, Mario Schembri. “Flattening carton boxes and crushing plastic bottles is the proper way to deposit materials inside the iBiNs. Dumping of recyclable waste next to the bins is a littering offence,” he added.

“We are striving to empty the iBiNs more often in the many localities served by GreenPak. Nevertheless, the biggest problem is the total disregard by the authorities to enforce fines on those that ignore the law,” the GreenPak CEO noted.

GreenPak advised the government a few months ago to focus more on enforcement, such as instigating what GreenPak calls as “Rubbish Police”. GreenPak says the proposal was discussed with the Ministry for the Environment (MSDEC), as well as authorised recycling schemes so that stakeholders would work together to come up with a solution for littering that GreenPak tags as “national disease”.

“From our side, we increased the frequency for emptying the bins and have also started emptying of iBiNs at night, so as to avoid traffic congestions. But enforcement is still an unrelenting major problem. Although GreenPak has been sending images and footage of abusive actions to both ERA [Environment and Resources Authority] and LESA [Local Enforcement System Agency] to take action against the abusers, no decrease in littering has been noticed — if anything, littering is on the increase at an alarming rate,” Mr Schembri says.

GreenPak is prepared to install CCTVs at all iBiN sites, however, due to its experiences with law enforcement, the company says it is doubtful about the future effectiveness of such measures. “Law enforcement is a basic and fundamental government function. The lack of enforcement is severely undermining our investment and our work,” Mr Schembri underscores.

GreenPak recently installed smart technology-equipped iBiNs in 42 localities the collector serves, which was also accompanied by the launch of an online application that helps citizens locate the bins. Later on GreenPak said that their new iBiNs have helped increase the recovery of plastic waste. As recent figures show that between January and May 2019 plastic waste recovery nearly doubled when compared to the same period in 2018.

The post GreenPak Malta calls for more enforcement to fight littering first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

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.

The post GreenPak’s iBiNs double plastic waste recovery first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.