A monitoring system comprises a plurality of monitoring stations disposed in or associated with a respective rubbish bin housing or surround. Each monitoring station comprising an identifier, a sensor for monitoring the bin or a detectable quality of the environment in which the bin is located, a processor for receiving a signal from the sensor and a transmitter for transmitting the signal.

A robotic garbage unit can include a garbage container, a robotic drive system, and sensors. The robotic garbage unit can determine a travel path and drive along the travel path to get to a garbage pickup location. The robotic garbage unit can detect a garbage pickup event based on garbage sensors. When a garbage pickup event is detected, the robotic garbage unit determines a travel path to a docking station and drives to the docking station. The robotic garbage unit can avoid obstructions while traveling by adjusting a travel path.

The disclosure discloses a dry garbage collection system and method with compressing and packing function, the system includes a central control display, a garbage putting bin, a compression and hot-melting bin, a packing bin, a forwarding bin, an air purification bin, a garbage can and a box; the garbage put in the system is compressed to form a cake shape and then performed a packing, and the garbage bags are hot-melted to shape, and vacuumized during packing process; the weight of the garbage before and after compression is compared to determine whether there is more wet garbage in the input dry garbage, so that an alarm can be sent out when the garbage classification is not standardized. The present disclosure realizes effectively compression and packing of garbage, significantly reduces the volume of garbage, prevents the garbage bin from overfilling, reduces subsequent garbage transfer times and transportation costs.

A method for an autonomous robot to empty refuse. A sensor positioned on the robot captures sensor data of an environment of the robot as the robot navigates within the environment and a processor of the robot generates a map of the environment based on at least the sensor data. The processor receives a schedule for emptying refuse stored in a container of the robot at a refuse collection location from an application of a communication device. The processor determines a path of the robot from a storage location of the robot to the refuse collection location and actuates the robot to autonomously drive along the path according to the schedule.

The disclosure generally pertains to systems and methods for trash collection management. In an example embodiment, a dumpster monitoring apparatus may determine that an amount of garbage in a dumpster exceeds a threshold level (such as, for example, above a full-level marked on the dumpster). If the garbage exceeds the threshold level, the dumpster monitoring apparatus automatically transmits a request to a dumpster management apparatus to dispatch a garbage truck. In an example scenario, the dumpster monitoring apparatus may further determine that a current location of the dumpster is stationed is inaccessible to the garbage truck. Consequently, the dumpster monitoring apparatus may automatically transmit a request to a robot vehicle (such as robotic forklift) to move the dumpster from the current location to a new location that is accessible to the garbage truck. The dumpster monitoring apparatus may then inform the dumpster management apparatus of the new location.

A disposal bin includes at least one identifying sensor that captures and provides identifying information for items placed in the disposal bin as well as at least one state sensor to capture and provide state information (such as the weight of the item) for such items. A control circuit operably couples to these sensors and responds to placement of a consumable commodity container in the disposal bin by using the identifying information to identify the consumable commodity container. The control circuit then accesses a data store to obtain a fullness metric corresponding to the container (for example, a weight for the consumable commodity container when full). The control circuit then uses that fullness metric and the state information to determine a current fullness state of the container. The control circuit can then determine whether to automatically take a replacement order action based upon the current fullness state.

A series of techniques incorporated in two sensing methods that enable fullness detection whilst minimizing the current consumption of the battery operated wireless electronic circuitry that implements the detection.

A trash bin cabinet for a checkout station in a retail store is described. The checkout station includes the trash bin cabinet with a drawer locking mechanism, and a trash level sensor with an optical notification system. The trash bin cabinet has a drawer unit that contains at least one trash bin. The drawer locking mechanism locks the drawer when the drawer unit is closed so the drawer unit does not come open by itself and become a hazard or a nuisance. The trash level sensor senses the level of trash in the trash bins and sends a trash level status signal to the optical notification system. The optical notification system optically radiates the trash level status signal so people or sensors can monitor the level of trash in the trash bins without visiting the checkout station.

A computer system including sensor and alternative power technologies for enhancing waste disposal and energy efficiency using is provided. The computer system may be configured to receive waste data and recycling data from at least one sensor located proximate to a waste bin, and determine a level of waste in the waste bin based upon the received waste data, and a level of contamination of the waste bin based upon the received recycling data. The computer system may be also configured to determine whether collection of waste in the waste bin or decontamination of the waste bin is required. The computer system may be further configured to generate an alert including information corresponding collection or decontamination of the waste bin, and transmit the alert to one or more client devices associated with at least one user.

Systems and methods of monitoring a characteristic of a waste container operation via a sensor node co-located with a waste container are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, a method performed by a first network node comprises receiving, by the first network node, from the sensor node, an image representing a perspective view of an interior of the container, the first network node being operable to estimate an available capacity of the container to hold waste based on that image so that a second network node is operable to schedule a task associated with the available capacity of the container, with the image being obtained by an optical sensor operationally coupled to the sensor node, with the sensor being disposed on a side or corner of the container and having a viewing angle towards an opposite side or corner of the container.