Waste collection routes were managed through spreadsheets and carried out on fixed weekly intervals, where routes couldn’t be changed by planners to consider roadworks or events in the city. Kredsløb was making approximately 152,000 pickups per year across 3005 containers in Aarhus Kommune, but estimated that containers were collected on average at only 40% fullness. This conflicted with their strategy of a greener and more competitive operation.

WasteHero introduced a system to digitalise Kredsløb’s entire waste management operation and connect all team members in one central ecosystem. Along with digitising their container and fleet assets, data from their existing system was seamlessly integrated to the platform. WasteHero’s smart bin sensors were then installed in containers across the city to gather and analyse data on container fill levels.

Based on data insights and WasteHero’s prediction algorithm, Kredsløb’s route intervals were optimised to only pick up containers on an efficient schedule, when the bins were 90% full or above.

Kredsløb’s drivers perform approximately 152,000 bin emptyings per year that cost DKK 100 per emptying, translating to an incurred cost of DKK 15.2 million per year. Through optimised routes, Kredsløb can reduce the average number of collections by 55%, providing a saving of DKK 8.3 million annually, and DKK 33 million over four years.