Sandpoint launches 'smart' waste collection

SANDPOINT — Over the past week, the city replaced 155 trash containers in its downtown core and parks with 56 new Bigbelly “smart” waste collections bins.

Each of the new bins is equipped with Wi-Fi and a solar power transmitter that signals Waste Management and city staff when it needs to be emptied. They also feature a pull-down hopper and foot pedal, making garbage disposal easier and more sanitary, according to a statement by city officials this week. To prevent overflow and liquid spills common to traditional cans, Bigbelly units are tamper resistant and sealed.

Units located in busier downtown locations such as the entrance to Bridge Street, along Main Street, and in city parks are also equipped with solar powered internal compactors that allow them to hold 150 gallons, which is nearly five times more than the city’s traditional trash containers, according to the statement.

City staff has been working with downtown business owners on more effective garbage solutions for the past couple of years, often receiving feedback and complaints about the lack of pull-open or step-open containers, the loss of lids, overflowing garbage, windblown litter, and the unsightly look of plastic rollout carts deployed to support increased trash volumes during special events such as the Fourth of July celebration, city officials said in the statement.

“Refuse pickup and associated cost is particularly challenging in Sandpoint as we see such significant differences in trash volumes and impacts with our tourism and event peaks and valleys,” City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton said in the statement. “We have been going down the path of adding more containers and more pickup times to ensure we can address the peak demands, but this comes at a significant and unnecessary cost at other times of the year. A small technology like Bigbelly helps us achieve a better balance.”

With the Bigbelly bins, city parks staff will no longer need to manually check cans on a daily basis during busy tourist seasons. Their time will efficiently be reallocated to other beautification efforts in city rights-of-way and parks. Likewise, Waste Management staff and vehicles will no longer stop at every city trash container three times a week to see if they need to be emptied. They will now be able to monitor capacity before rolling a truck. Waste Management drivers reported that the majority of city containers were at less than 30-percent capacity on most pickups throughout the year, while others were overflowing. During events and peak seasons, Waste Management will monitor and pick up trash seven days a week, if needed, according to the statement.

“Fewer trash collections leads to fewer refuse vehicles for shorter periods of time reducing wear and tear on our streets and traffic impacts,” Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad said in the statement. “It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. This all leads to a calmer, more sustainable environment and livable community.”

A review of other cities with the Bigbelly system deployed found their municipal waste collections and associated operational expenses were reduced up to 80 percent. A three-year analysis of the return on investment shows the cost of the Bigbelly bins will not exceed the cost of the traditional bins.