The next time you stroll down Orchard Road and discover throngs of people swarming a bin, it’s probably because they’re saving on phone data by latching on to the high-tech bin’s Wi-Fi hotspot. Yep, ten of these bins are actually scattered along walkways between Wisma Atria and Mandarin Gallery.
This marks the start of the three-month pilot trial of Bigbelly smart bins by technology company Terra Sol and the Orchard Road Business Association. Previously, Terra Sol also placed the smart bins at Changi Airport and Fusionopolis.
Created with sensors, the solar-powered bins can send e-mail or text alerts to cleaners when they’re full, and they come with a compactor to crush trash and maximise space capacity. This means the US-imported bins will most likely only have to be cleared once instead of five to seven times a day.
As for the Wi-Fi situation… it’s honestly not that fantastic. Provided by StarHub, the Wi-Fi covers a 30m radius, but you have just 15 minutes to get online before you must log in again. Plus, the free Wi-Fi is only available from 11am to 9pm each day. Oh well, guess you gotta take what you can get.
