“Intelligent” trashcans not worth the money?
Sud-Ouest borough installed some expensive “intelligent” trash cans but plans to replace them with regular trash cans when they break down. Other boroughs have also installed a few, but La Presse found that nobody is using the selling feature: they send a signal when they’re full. The boroughs have been emptying them on the same regular schedule as other trash cans.
P 21:19 on 2024-04-04 Permalink
Makes me think of that vacuum based waste system promised for the Quartier des Spectacles in 2010ish era. Did that thing ever work out?
Kate 21:54 on 2024-04-04 Permalink
I remember that too, and it did not. It was too unwieldy an idea and too much of a potential money pit even for the Coderre era, which is saying something.
Joey 11:16 on 2024-04-05 Permalink
The ‘selling feature’ isn’t the signal that they’re full, it’s their ability to compact trash in the can, which allegedly allows them to hold 5X as much garbage as a regular bin. The signal is functionally useless – boroughs will always stick to their pickup schedules (though one borough at least is not emptying bins that are no more than half-empty). If deployed broadly, the compactor function could mean significantly reducing pickups, which presumably would pay for the premium these things command (they seem to be about $7500 each). The early indications from the other boroughs are all positive.
I think the QdeS system was supposed to automatically remove the waste from the bins, which always seemed too good to be true. These, on the other hand, seem more useful.
Kate 19:26 on 2024-04-05 Permalink
Joey, good point on the compacting. I wonder how long they last till they break down.
MarcG 09:09 on 2024-04-06 Permalink
What happens to the juice?
Ian 12:25 on 2024-04-06 Permalink
Artisanal biodiesel
MarcG 12:43 on 2024-04-06 Permalink
Self-powered?