Yes, absolutely! In fact, smart public waste bins with built-in sensors to track fullness are already being deployed in many cities around the world, and they are changing how waste management works.
These bins are equipped with ultrasonic or infrared sensors that measure how full they are in real-time. The data is then sent wirelessly—often through cellular networks or LoRaWAN—to a central cloud platform. Waste management teams can monitor bin status on a dashboard, so they only send collection trucks when bins are actually close to full, rather than on a fixed schedule. This saves fuel, reduces traffic, and prevents overflowing bins.
You might have seen or heard about brands like Bigbelly, which makes solar-powered compacting bins with fullness sensors. Other solutions come from companies like Enevo, SmartBin, and Ecube Labs. Many cities in Europe, North America, and Asia—such as San Francisco, Amsterdam, Singapore, and Seoul—have adopted these smart bins in parks, busy streets, and transit hubs.
From a personal experience, I live in a mid-sized city where we recently installed smart bins in the downtown area. It’s been a noticeable improvement: no more trash spilling onto the sidewalk on windy days, and the bins even send alerts when they need maintenance.
So, if you’re wondering whether such technology exists—yes, it’s not a futuristic concept, it’s already here, and it’s helping cities become cleaner and more efficient. If your local area doesn’t have them yet, it’s definitely worth advocating for. Just a quick search for “smart waste bin projects” or “IoT bins in my city” might surprise you with how close they could be!