Bigbelly Blog: Beyond the Bin

In October 2016, Bigbelly participated at IoT Solutions World Congress at the Fira Barcelona as a speaker on multiple plenary and panel sessions. This IoT event of the year brought together thought leaders shaping the IoT and Smart Cities industry of today and tomorrow. The Industrial Internet Consortium and Fira Venue jointly produced the 2016 event for its second year in Barcelona.

As we look back at 2016 and ahead into 2017, we reflect on and are inspired by our customer successes. We are excited to unveil the Top 25 Most Efficient Smart City Deployments Using the Bigbelly Smart Waste & Recycling System.  Congratulations to each and every one of these cities, towns, parks and transit systems, business improvement districts, other public spaces for constituent enjoyment and their impacted communities! These cities and entites within are power users of their smart waste system and are taking full advantage of data-driven waste management across city limits.

1. Thayer Street District Management Authority, RI (United States) - 99% Average Efficiency for 2016!

2. Cheshire West and Chester Council, England (United Kingdom) 

3. Brighton and Hove Council, England (United Kingdom)

4. DunLaoghaire Rathdown Council, Dublin (Ireland)

5. Gravesham Borough Council, England (United Kingdom)

As we look back at 2016 and ahead into 2017, we reflect on and are inspired by our customer successes. We are excited to unveil the Top 25 Highest Recycling & Compost Diversion Ratios from Smart City Deployments.  Congratulations to each and every one of these cities, towns, parks and transit systems, business improvement districts, other public spaces for constituent enjoyment and their impacted communities! We could not be more proud to be a part of these municipalities' success in achieving goals related to public space recycling diversion to create a more sustainable community for today and tomorrow.

1. City of Santa Clarita, CA (United States) - 66% of Waste was Diverted from the Landfill!

2. City of Burlington, VT (United States)

3. Santa Clarita Transit, CA (United States)

4. City of San Diego, CA (United States)

5. City of Louisville, KY (United States)

"Public safety and public services are key elements of a smart city. Whether a city is seeking smarter streetlights, more efficient waste removal, or gunshot detection, there are smart city products that stand out more than others. Here are some of the best and most useful devices that were used in smart cities around the world in 2016 and that will be vital in 2017.

The City of Lousiville takes their Bigbelly smart waste and recycling system to the next level as a multi-purpose core infrastructure in their Russell neighborhood. At bus stations along the public transit system, the Wi-Fi hotspot hidden in plain sight (housed in the cavity between the waste and recycling station) delivered critical Internet access for locals, whether waiting at the bus stop or visiting a local business organization. 

Call it Chief Technology Officer (CTO) or Chief Information Officer (CIO), technology leaders for cities and towns hold a great deal of responsibility for establishing the municipality’s technical vision and leading all aspects of its technological development. The CIO/CTO sets the overall direction for technology through strategic planning and evaluation. They provide leadership, planning oversight and management for all areas of information technology (IT) strategy, development, and implementation. As leaders, they show a demonstrated ability to influence decisions and decision makers in a professional manner. These public sector CIO drives change with transformative technology.

As the world around us evolves due to changing economies, governments, natural resources, and the environment, municipalities may face strains on assets and resources. Cities and towns are proactively building strategies to limit the impact of acute shock and chronic stress that threaten them or weaken their foundation on a day-to-day or cyclical basis. Sudden, sharp events like disease outbreaks, national and international political and economic disruptions, terrorist accounts, and extreme weather and natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods are hard to deal with without proper pre-planning and disaster recovery plans in place. Stresses like inefficient public transportation systems; high unemployment; endemic violence; and power, food, and water shortages or interruptions also pose challenges for municipalities.