Things Connected Bournemouth waste management challenge

Digital Catapult has partnered with WND-UK to establish a regional extension of the Things Connected LPWAN network, adding Sigfox technology to their portfolio. The network consists of 19 free-to-use Sigfox base stations deployed across the Bournemouth area for the use of testing, experimentation, demonstration and piloting of IoT products and services.

This infrastructure facilitates the delivery of challenge-led innovation programmes across the areas of environment, smart buildings, and rescue services. The following challenge has been developed in partnership with Bournemouth Borough Council.

Bournemouth has 7 miles of coastline which is a key part of the tourist attraction. Currently, provision for refuse is the utilisation of various size wheelie bins located along the promenade normally in line with lamp posts. To service the collection of the bins, a dedicated resource allocated to this task with scaled collections in line with seasonal demand is required.

There are up to about 50 bins that can be made available for the trial but they do not all have to be used. There is also new high tech underground bin chambers that need some form of monitoring.
 

Why you should get involved

Things Connected Bournemouth and Bournemouth Borough Council are seeking suitable partners to provide a cost-effective monitoring solution proposal to remotely monitor bin capacity along a section of the promenade, and several litter bins at the eastern end of the sea front.

Monitoring data should ideally be remotely accessed, with minimal annual maintenance or installation of equipment in areas that may require specialist access. This monitoring data should detect the capacity of the bins and non-invasively detect movement of people in the surrounding area. With the aim to enhance the quality of current monitoring information and to give remote warning of when a bin is nearing its capacity. The solution could act as a pilot study to other sites of the borough that utilise larger capacity waste receptacles. This would provide a mechanism for remote bin monitoring whilst providing data to model and predict refuse/recycling needs as part of a wider waste management strategy.

Who should apply

Startups and scaleups interested in developing and commercialising their IoT solutions and solving a real world challenged should get involved.

Next Steps

The challenge will be open from the 24th of September to the 24th of October where potential participants may register their interest in taking part.

Selected applicants will be invited to present their proposals to a panel from Bournemouth Borough Council and Things Connected Bournemouth; one of which will be invited to work with the council on this proof of concept. Presentations will be held at Barclays Eagle Labs, Westbourne, Bournemouth on the 31st October from 11.00am.

If the Bournemouth Borough Council can find a suitable partner to provide the technology on a proof of concept basis, then the council will allocate resource to enable the project. Bournemouth Borough Council is governed by the prevailing public sector and European procurement rules, so any business case would be subject to adherence of these regulations.

• 02 Oct – Open Call opens
• 02 Nov – Open Call closes
• 07 Nov – Presentation of proposals
• Nov – Jan – Trial period

If you would like to find out more about the programme please contact [email protected]

If you are interested in finding out how you can get involved, please register below.