Currently, over 2 billion tons of waste are produced globally every year. The vast majority of this waste ends up in landfills where it pollutes the local ecosystem, releases harmful emissions and creates a range of environmental and public health issues. Unfortunately, this problem isn't going away any time soon as, by , the amount of waste produced globally is expected to rise to a staggering 3.4 billion tons.
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One of the best ways to mitigate the environmental impact of municipal solid waste is to introduce smarter, more tech-focused solutions to the waste management industry. These innovative processes help to streamline collections, monitor waste levels and make it easier for individuals and businesses to up their rates of recycling and help the environment.
Smart waste management refers to systems that use tech to make the waste management process more efficient, more environmentally friendly and more sustainable. Many of these new emerging waste management technologies utilize the internet of things (IOT) to help streamline waste collection and improve sustainability. For example, some businesses in the waste management industry are already using smart waste bins to monitor trash levels in real-time and schedule collections in order to maximize efficiency.
A number of innovative companies are working on exciting new waste management systems and technologies that are specifically designed to build a more sustainable waste management industry. These technologies come in a variety of different forms and address a number of different issues affecting the waste management industry. One thing they all have in common is a desire to reduce pollution, streamline the waste collection system and protect our environment.
Many of the new technologies making waves in the world of solid waste management are aimed at businesses. This is because companies generally produce more waste than individual households. Helping businesses to make sustainable waste management easier and more cost-effective will encourage more to recycle. With an estimated 75% of all the waste we produce thought to be recyclable, this could have a real impact on pollution, landfills levels and climate change.
Around the world, businesses and waste management companies are already integrating smart automation and technology into their processes. Here are six of the most exciting emerging technologies for .
1. Pello
Pello is a new technology that's been developed to help businesses reduce their environmental impact and manage their waste collection more efficiently. Pello helps companies to achieve these goals in a number of different ways. Firstly, the Pello system monitors the fill-level of your trash cans and provides real-time information on the dumpsters' contents and location. It also tells you if your container has been contaminated and sends pickup alerts when a collection is due.
Having this information at your fingertips allows you to streamline your waste management practices and take control of your business' waste disposal. It also means that garbage trucks are only sent out when absolutely necessary, something that can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cut traffic.
2. Recycling Robots
Artificial Intelligence has been in the news a lot lately, and not always for the right reasons. However, one area where AI could make a real and valuable difference is in the world of recycling. AI robots can be programmed to quickly and accurately differentiate between different materials, and many recycling centers are already making use of the technology.
Introducing AI robotics into the process allows for more efficient waste sorting in recycling centers and helps to divert as many recyclable materials away from landfills as possible. It also allows waste management companies to operate longer hours or even stay open 24/7, dramatically increasing the amount of waste processed.
3. Pneumatic Waste Pipes
As urban areas grow and become more densely populated, traditional waste disposal and collection systems become less practical. One of the best tech solutions to this problem is the pneumatic waste pipe. Pneumatic pipes can be installed below public waste containers to transport waste straight to processing centers without the need for a trash pickup.
This system has two main benefits. The first is that it can dramatically reduce the number of garbage trucks on the roads. This can help to cut harmful emissions and minimize the number of vehicles clogging up our cities. Secondly, sending waste direct from dumpsters to waste management centers can help to avoid full containers overflowing. As well as being unsightly, overflowing dumpsters can cause an environmental health hazard and contribute to the pollution of the local area.
4. Solar-Powered Trash Compactors
The more waste a trash truck can carry, the more it can collect on each round and the fewer trips it has to make. Solar-powered trash compactors compress trash as it accumulates inside a dumpster to increase capacity. This allows these smart containers to hold up to five times more than traditional trash bins.
As well as compressing waste, solar-powered trash compactors have built in waste level sensors. These sensors transmit data on the capacity of the bins, allowing users to schedule pickups and streamlining the collection process.
5. E-Waste Kiosks
Electronic waste, like old computers, phones and TVs, contains a lot of harmful substances. If e-waste is improperly disposed of, these substances can leak out into the environment and pose a serious hazard to both human health and the local ecosystem. Instead of being sent to landfill, e-waste should be recycled or, even better, repaired and reused. This will help to prevent harmful chemicals seeping into our soil and water and protect the local area.
One startup company has taken things into their own hands by launching specialist e-waste recycling kiosks. EcoATM kiosks allow you to dispose of your unwanted electronics safely and easily. If your , tablet or computer is still in good condition, they may even give you cash in exchange for the item, rewarding your efforts and helping to boost e-waste recycling rates in the process.
6. Recycling Apps
Apps have changed the way we order taxis, the way we date and the way we communicate, so why not the way we recycle? A new range of apps is now available to help individuals and businesses navigate the world of recycling. From donating your food waste to a worthy cause and giving away your clothes, to locating a nearby recycling center, these apps are a fantastic resource for those who want to keep their waste out of the landfill. Some apps also provide detailed information on exactly which materials can be recycled in your local area.
Because a lot of apps allow you to pass unwanted items on to other people, they're also a great way to develop a sustainable, circular economy. Check out your app store to find out more about the specialist apps on offer.
Technology has a huge amount to contribute to waste management and recycling. Used well, it can help us to reuse old electronics, recycle ever more of our plastics and reduce the number of vehicles on our roads. In the future, tech advancements are likely to have an even greater impact on recycling rates and efficiency, leading to a greener, healthier planet for all of us.
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Manufacturing waste is something business owners often overlook, yet left unchecked, it can cost a business a significant amount of money. From transportation waste, inventory waste, defective products and more, waste can accrue in a range of areas across the company.
This article explores the different types of manufacturing waste, and how to reduce them. Finally, we look at how lean manufacturing can help proactively avoid wastage and improve manufacturing productivity.
For more information, please visit High Efficiency Waste Sorting System Factory.
Waste is any activity that uses resources but doesn't add value for the end customer, and can therefore be eliminated.
Viewed this way, some activities that see materials going in the bin are actually valuable to end customers and shouldn't be considered as pure waste ' for example quality testing to prevent defective products reaching consumers.
Waste can be classified as:
Reducing pure waste can increase efficiency and reduce your total manufacturing costs. Now that we can identify genuine waste, let's explore the seven types of waste and how you can reduce them.
There are many things that can lead to wastage in a manufacturing business. Some of them are easy to identify, but others less so.
The seven types of waste according to Lean theory are:
Waste can accrue through defects in raw materials, which end up as scrap and are unusable. Waste can also happen through the processes and materials involved in transporting goods.
Nor is waste isn't always about something tangible. Waste in a manufacturing business can also take the form of time wastage (or 'waiting' wastage), where tasks are completed inefficiently leading to wasted time and resources.
Wastage can also occur from overproduction of goods which can't be sold, overprocessing of materials unnecessarily, and 'waste of motion' ' where people, machinery or tools are moved around during manufacturing unnecessarily.
We'll cover each of these types of wastage below and provide tips on how to reduce them.
Inventory becomes excessive when you hold stock for 'just in case' situations, such as to meet unexpected demand or protect from production delays. It may also come down to a simple error in ordering stock ' someone over-ordered an item without assessing the businesses and customers' needs beforehand. The danger of this type of waste is that it is ultimately cash ' tied up in assets ' which cannot be used for anything.
Usually inventory waste occurs for a variety of reasons: the procurement team aren't able to forecast demand, managers don't have visibility over sales trends, the business can't account for supplier lead time or other problems.
A straightforward way to reduce waste of inventory is to use inventory management software. It can help keep track of raw materials and components throughout procurement, production and sales. Because it's an all-in-one system, managers can easily view performance and more accurately forecast demand. Doing so minimises the risk of over-ordering inventory that won't sell.
Inventory software can also help reduce wastage when it comes to stock takes. Often, new stock orders are inefficient because existing stock wasn't counted accurately. Inventory software tools such as barcode scanners can help make this process less manual, reducing the risk of error.
Waste of transport comes from unnecessary movement that doesn't add value to the product. Moving materials around excessively can be costly and potentially damage your products. Usually transportation waste occurs in the manufacturing plant and the inventory warehouse, especially in larger warehouses housing lots of stock. However, transportation waste can also happen on a larger scale if there are goods or materials being transported between warehouses, regions, or countries.
Perhaps the most extreme example of transport waste reduction comes from courier firm UPS, whose delivery trucks never make left-hand turns. That's because in the US turning left means idling at an intersection waiting for a break in oncoming traffic ' or for a traffic light to give you right of way ' followed by fuel-heavy acceleration. UPS worked out that avoiding idling by plotting urban routes with a preference for right-hand turns reduced petrol consumption. In fact, this strategy, along with other route optimisations, reduced fuel use by an estimated 10 million gallons in .
UPS reduces waste of transport by only making right turns
If wastage is happening within the warehouse, this can often be due to poor layout of the warehouse floor. If staff are having to bring tools from one side of the warehouse to the other multiple times a day, for instance, this can lead to time and resource wastage. Here are some ways you can maximise warehouse efficiency:
Waste of motion can lead to delayed production or even injuries
Waste of motion refers to movement of people, resources or machinery. For example, multiple staff may be operating one machine when only one person is necessary, resulting in time and resource wastage. These inefficiencies can also be dangerous and lead to workplace injuries and delay production.
Waste of motion doesn't always have to be on a large scale. Small scale waste of motion includes things like rummaging through a pile of materials to find the right component, walking to the printer across the warehouse, or even sifting through sheets of paper.
The key to reducing motion waste is to assess your workflows and layout to identify areas of waste. You could try:
And remember, the experts in waste of motion are likely to be the staff dealing with production day-to-day: a good waste of motion review starts with asking for feedback from your workers.
One of the most easily recognisable wastes, the waste of waiting happens whenever goods or tasks aren't moving. For example, machines waiting to be fixed, documents waiting for final approval, staff waiting for further instructions, or goods sitting waiting for delivery.
Making too much? Inventory software can help prevent overproduction
One major form of waste in manufacturing businesses comes from overproduction. Overproduction waste happens when you make too many products or components during the manufacturing process and they can't be used.
Overproduction waste can happen for a number of reasons. It may be due to a poor understanding of customer needs ' for example, demand unexpectedly slows for a particular product and the manufacturing process does not adapt accordingly. It can also happen when design needs change ' perhaps someone finds a fault in the original product but the manufacturing process does not adapt quickly enough.
Inventory software can help prevent overproduction waste by tracking and recording all key changes related to demand, product design, sales trends and more. By doing so, managers can better assess how much of any given part is required at any given time ' and manufacturers can adjust machinery, staff and materials to suit.
Another form of waste is caused by overprocessing during the manufacturing process. This happens when manufacturers spend unnecessary time, resources, machinery or tools on making a product or component. For example, painting a part of a product that the customer will never see. This type of waste can add up quickly, and lead to inefficiencies throughout the process.
Are you spending too much time or effort on any one task? If so, it may be time to reassess.
Another form of manufacturing wastage is caused by defects in materials or end products. This type of waste is one of the more costly types of waste because it bleeds into other forms of waste, such as transportation, overproduction and overprocessing.
Waste of defects can be caused by inefficiencies in manufacturing processes, unclear operating procedures, poor quality raw materials from suppliers, or staff who are poorly trained in the use of machinery or tools.
Some examples of defects include:
To reduce this type of waste, you must identify the root cause of defects. Imagine if out of your batch of widgets, 500 of them are consistently of bad quality. At first glance, you think the machine was unreliable. Digging deeper, you find that the night shift workers don't understand how to use the machine as well as the day shift workers because they didn't have the same training. To remedy this, you've sent your night shift workers for a training course and now all your widgets are of top quality!
Here are some other ways you can prevent defects from happening:
Waste builds up in many different ways throughout the manufacturing process. And the waste that is most dangerous to your business is the waste you can't easily identify.
The Lean methodology is an effective way to identify and address waste without sacrificing productivity. In lean manufacturing, the customers' needs define what is of value at every stage, in terms of what they would pay for the product or service. The idea behind the method is to identify what doesn't add value for the customer and the process and adjust tasks or resources as necessary.
The key principles involved in lean manufacturing processes are automation, visual control of production flow, flexibility, waste reduction, relationship management with suppliers, and continuous improvement. Unlike other methods, the Lean methodology not only reduces waste, it addresses the root cause of your waste and empowers your team to solve and prevent their own problems.
Using a cloud-based inventory management software will aid your efforts to be leaner. It automates otherwise manual and time-consuming procedures such as stocktakes and stock reordering, it gives you visual oversight of performance, and it allows you to track waste so that you can improve processes and make them more effective.
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