To further optimise the productivity of the new waste collection service, Ascan Geaser has deployed the use of a GIS sensor, provided by NEC, which provides real time data to both the municipality and Ascan, detailing how full each 2,200 and 3,200 side loading waste collection container is. When waste is deposited in the containers, the sensor calculates how much cubic air space the waste will consume and then sends the percentage of bin capacity left per m3 to Ascan Geaser and to the municipality. This system helps Ascan Geaser to optimise their waste collection service across Santander by designing new waste collection rounds from this data so that only full containers are emptied, thus helping to reduce operational costs and the carbon footprint. The data is provided in the form of coloured pye charts through real time to Ascan and Santander municipality with different colours distinguishing the different waste streams e.g. red: paper and cardboard; yellow: plastics, ferrous and non – ferrous tin cans commingled etc. The percentage of the bin capacity utilised is provided in the centre of the coloured pye chart e.g. 100% full, 50% half full and 25% a quarter full. The NEC system is also used to deploy the whole of Ascan Geaser´s fleet of waste collection vehicles and street cleansing vehicles. Management, as well as the municipality, can see how long waste collection and street cleansing vehicles are taking to carry out the service. If a breakdown (e.g. a puncture) occurs, the NEC system will relay this information to Ascan and Santander municipality so that a solution can be found to complete the round. Thirty of Ascan’s vehicles CO2 and NOx emissions are monitored using the NEC system with the data being provided to Santander municipality to demonstrate that Ascan’s fleet are totally low emission compliant vehicles and contributing to improving air emissions across Santander. The NEC system makes all data totally transparent for both Ascan and Santander municipality to see any time of the day as well as data logged from the previous working day is available for review.
