GB2416612A - On-cart recycling data collection system - Google Patents

Abstract

This system uses an electric pedestrian controlled vehicle with an appropriate combination of RFID tagging and data collection by mobile operatives and a robust database to provide the infrastructure that allows the collection, management and analysis of recycling data down to a household level. An additional benefit of the system is upward traceability from a recycling box to bag/cart/operator and downwards traceability from a bag via operator /cart to the recycling box. Users can therefore assess the effectiveness of a recycling scheme and the ability to "drill down" through the raw data to reporting on street or household level could facilitate the development of household "incentive" schemes. Analysis of raw data on the basis of geographical location and time allows maps of recycling "hot-spots" and trends to be identified.

Description

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\lrm, -5. ), \, i/ ; t l - Ego wm Contents

Background 3

l Aim of the Scoping Study 3 A Data Perspective on the problem 4 The Need for Track / Trace / Reporting 4 System Overview 5 Operations & Stakeholders 6 Identification of Scheme Proposed 7 Identification of Recycling Boxes 8 Example of Box-Tag Data Structure 10 Identification of Operator 11 Identification of Recycling Bags..............................

....... 12 at On-Cart Data-Collection System (OCDCS) 13 A Possible Operation Sequence 13 OCDCS Hardware.............. .........................DTD: ....... .... 14 Weighing System...... .............. ........... .........DTD: ............. ...................... 15 Increase in Sack Total Weight 15 Decrease m Total Box Weight 16 Weighing of Segregate Matenals 16 Mechanical Design Requirements 16 Remote Communications and Location Technology 1 7 Location Technology (GPS) 17 Location Tracking...............DTD: ............... 17 Remote Communications 18 Database / Data Management Systems 18 Database Development 19 Database Design 19 Staged Implementation 21..DTD: Conclusions 23

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Background

Brumcan is a community recycling scheme within areas of inner city Birmingham. Participating households are issued with a dedicated "recyclables" box into which they place paper, metal, glass and textile items. The filled box Is placed on the curbside for subsequent collector. Mobile operators with hand operated electric carts visit each street to collect the recyclable items. Operators pick up the box; place it on the cart; segregate the materials into seven categories and place these in separate collection bags, returning the empty box to the household. When the large bags are hiled, they are sealed and left on the pavement for subsequent collection by a larger vehicle. The materials are returned to the main depot where they are further separated and graded for subsequent sale. A proportion,of any surplus made from the intiaLve is returned to the Community through a range of Community projects.

In order to assess the effectiveness and uptake of the scheme, it is necessary to collate data on the amounts and locations of materials collected and returned to the depot. Analysis of such data on the basis of geographical location and time would allow maps of recycling "hot- spots" and seasonal trends to be clearly identified, allowing modification of collection frequency or improved awareness raising / targeting in key areas covered by the scheme. In addition, the ability to "dnil-down" from the raw data to reporting on street to household level would facilitate Individual household incentive" schemes.

Currently there is not data collection undertaken by the mobile operatives, hence there is a paucity of the raw data required for statistical analysis to determine efficiency of the scheme and assess relative participation by households In different areas of the city.

Aim of the Scoping Study The aim of this scoping study is to assess the feasibility of implementing the necessary identification scheme; data collection processes and "back-office" system to hold and report on the data collected. The study will identify an appropriate methodology for identification and data collection and make recommendations for the technologies that could be employed to deliver the required information. The study will also consider the implementation of the database and necessary reporting; in particular which tools are considered most appropriate and what such a system would deliver to provide full traceability and reporting on materials recovered.

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Enviro Hi) INNGV^TE Y' wm i The study will not, however, produce a detailed specification for the different aspects of this system but will give indications of different approaches that could be adopted and the relative merits and demerits of each Example data formats will be provided where appropnate, but these could not be considered definitive until a full user-requirements capture exercise had been undertaken.

A Data Perspective on the Problem At this point it is useful to consider the recycling scheme as a series of discrete but linked operations Involving different stakeholders and which yield different data: Households segregate recyclables from their household waste and place it in their collection box Mobile operators with electric carts pickup the box and segregate the materials into different collection bags The Mobile operator seals and unloads "full" bags, placing these on the pavement for subsequent collection A larger vehicle collects the full bags and returns these to the depot a Within the depot, other operators inspect and sort the recyclables The sorted materials are sold to specialist companies for processing / recycling / re-use A proportion of the income received from sales of materials is returned to the community through a series of community projects The Need For Track / Trace / Reporting It is important to consider the requirements for the capture of data at the point of waste collection and the subsequent requirements for traceability / drill-down from batch / bag level materials to the location of collection / box / cart / operator. Consider three hypothetical scenarios: 1. The Local Council decides that it will reward, with a 50 voucher towards their Council Tax for the following year, households who recycle 250 Kg or more of paper, glass and metal during the year.

A personalized monthly update will be issued to each household, showing their progress towards - this target. To maintain records of materials collected will require the collection of information down to a household level from the mobile collection cart operatives and the assimilation of this - . -, - Am. =50 1 i: 4 -. 1.

En AT: raw data into a back-end Management Information Systems to deliver the necessary aggregated data.

2 Mrs Smith of 42 Acacia Gardens, B4 7XG has lost her wedding ring and thinks it may have slipped from her finger whilst she was filling her recycling box. Before she could check, the box has been emptied and the cart had gone. In this particular case it is necessary to be able to Identify the operator / cart who would have emptied her recycling box and subsequently Identify into which bags the materials would have been placed, so that these could be carefully checked at the depot.

3. A used syringe is found in the pocket of a garment in a bag of textiles. It Is essential to be able to trace back from the bag identity to the cart / operator associated with the bag so that appropriate checks / precautions can be taken to protect the cart operator and all those who subsequently handled the material. It will also be useful to identify to which company this bag was sold, and any other bags that may have been filled in that location at around the same time, so that appropriate safety checks can be carried out at the organisabon which processes the materials. \

It is clear from each of these scenarios that a carefully designed identification system with appropriate data capture technologies will be required to collect the raw data and that a comprehensive data management system must hold the raw data and deliver a variety of data management and reporting functions to different stakeholders.

System Overview The Need for Identification In order to associate data with an entity, it Is essential that a robust numbering and identification scheme be created and that the necessary information for identification is appropriately carried on the items. The ability to provide answers to questions such as "to whom does this box belong?"; "how many boxes did Fred empty yesterday?; what is the average weekly recovery of green glass from the B4 7XG post- code?" will require that detailed information Is collected and stored in a way that maintains the relationships and linkages between the separate Items.

In order to provide full traceability of the Who did what, where and with which" form it is considered necessary to identify the following entities: Recycling boxes Households ! 5 l .. .

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t-nNC3 V TEN wm Collection operatives Collection carts Collection bags The proposed traceability system would comprise of a series of interlinked elements including: RFID Tagged recycling boxes RFID Tagged bags RFID Tagged operators On-Carts Data Collection System (OCDCS) - GPS / GSM / GPRS possible Mobile receipt printing Robust "back-office" system with full relational database to hold the data collected by the OCDCS and deliver comprehensive reporting facilities \ Operations and Stakeholders A top-level sequence of operations showing how the system is used Is as follows: Cart Operator Operator "clocks-in" at the depot using wrist-tag Operator "signs-on" to cart OCDCS using wrist tag Operator"scans" empty bags onto cart Operator places tagged boxes onto cart unloading platform OCDCS automatically reads box-tag via reademntegrated into platform Operator picks materials into separate instrumented hoppers When box is empty materials are weighed and released into bags OCDCS updates box-tag and stores to removable memory card Operator removes empty box and returns to household Operator seals full bags, reads / updates bag tags and unloads full bags Operator scans tags on empty bag prior to placing under hopper head 1 -- _ Envir wm On return to depot, Operator "signs off" OCDCS using wrist-tag, removing the memory card and returning n to the office Operator clocks out" at the depot using wrist tag ....

Bag Handlers Bag handlers "scan" bag-tags using handheld readers Bag handlers sort / grade baa contents a. ., it, _. _ System Managers Managers update the main database by placing OCDCS memory cards Into a card-reader and "sync" using a custom generated Data Synchronisaton application All OCDCS data is uploaded into the central database and memory card is "cleared" Reports by operator / post-code / material / date, etc can be run from a custom generated reporting interface.

Identification Scheme Proposed To identify the box it is necessary to create a unique box-lD. This could simply be a unique serial number, generated in a way that guarantees this ID will not be re-created (e.g. an auto-number field in a database) or could be created from several different data Items to create a unique key. The box-lD will need to be carried on the box in a permanent way that can be readily recorded during emptying, preferably using a machine-readable data-carrier such as a barcode, REID tag or similar device. A simple 8-digt Hexadecimal Code would allow up to 268(2.088x101') unique IDs to be assigned. e.g.

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A46B2E21 Households will almost certainly have a number of identifiers, such a Council Tax roll number, etc but it '1' would also be possible to create a separate Brumcan identifier. This would need careful consideration, ill,; especially if the household-lD were to be used for subsequent "reward" of households involved in the it'll scheme. For example, a combination of house-number, street name, postcode and familyname could be,' Considered possibly unique. For example the Smith family occupying 17A Acacia Avenue, B4 7XG could! generate a simple identifier as below by taking the first three letters of the street-name, and family name Car only and combining as shown: 1' I: 1< |: 7 1

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j En YoO ,,i, B47XG-1 7A-ACA-SMI 7"'- . but may be insufficiently robust for multiple occupancy buildings or commercial premises but If combined ' with the date and / or time the ID was allocated is almost certain to be unique. e.g.: \j,-,- B47XG-1 7A-ACA-SMI-1013 a,,,,: Pi l;.

I''.'\ t : The "ownership" of the box is created by linking the box-lD with the household-lD within a database, so that a search on either the box-lD or household-lD would return the household-lD and box-lD respectively. M,'

Box A46B2E21 assigned to Household B47XG-1 7A-ACA-SMI-1013 dad i,,1, a; Clearly to retrieve from the database information such as "when was box delivered"; "how many times has i it been emptied or "how many adults are in the household" would require that additional information about the box and the household be captured and maintained within the database' with the box-lD or house-lD acting as the "primary key" to the relevant record.

Identification of Recycling Boxes , If a unique Identifier alone is used to Identify the box, the relationship between box, household and t materials collection must be held In the remote database. If, for example it is desired to print a receipt when the box is emptied, it would be necessary either to carry a copy of the database with the operator, or Jr' to Connect remotely" to the central database using some form of wireless connection, In reality either A' GSM or GPRS. An alternative approach would be to carry information about the location or household on the box Itself, removing the need for access to the database. Several candidate technologies could Dig- provide this functionality including Radio-Frequency identification (RFID), 2D barcode and touch-memory Barcode technology is limited by the fact that the data cannot be changed without printing a new label, and by the reliance on label technology which is itself subject to physical damage / contamination / UV fading, etc which degrades the label over time Touch-memory, whist extremely robust, does require that a one-wire connection can be made between the memory device and the reader Again this is potentially subject to contamination and will not allow full embedding of devices within a collection box.

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Enviro (id) it N O VA ' mE lay RFID removes the line-of-sight or contact constraints required by barcode and touch-memory devices. Some forms of RFID can be moulded into plastic components, becoming an integral part of the recycling box during the manufacturing process. A variety of simple fixing techniques are also available where tags have to be retro-fitted to existing boxes Appropriate use of read-write RFID tags allows data, not just an identifier, to be kept on the box.

The box-tag data can be updated by the cart system to contain the latest information.

A preliminary recommendation is that Low-Frequency 125 KHz read-write RFID tags are attached to each box to uniquely identify the box. The readwrite memory will allow details of the household / location to be programmed into the tag when the box is issued to a household. It will also be possible for details of the last collection to be stored into the box tag It is suggested that a 30mm or 50mm disc package with a central hole could be readily retrofitted to each box using a nylon screw and nut to provide a robust fixing. Adhesive bonding of tags to the plastic recycling boxes, which will probably carry traces of mould release agent and other contamination is likely to prove unreliable. Phillips Hitag 1, a 2 KBit 125 KHz read-write RFID device Is considered to be especially suited to this application, due to the relatively large amount of public data memory available for storage of box owner, location and other information. IF read-write capability is not required, a lower-cost readonly tag could be used. .. l. !j I: if i 9:,1 l; !

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Example Box-Tag Data Structure Unique Tag ID - 8 hex characters preprogrammed by manufacturer OWNERSHIP DATABytes Type Example FamilyName16 ASCII Polonos HouseNumber4 ASCII 46A StreetName20 ASCII Acacia Ave Postcode8 ASCII B4 7XG 0 DateOfissue4 DATE 23/06/2004 52 bytes

TOTAL RECOVERY

LastResetDate4 DATE 23/06/2004 Green Glass 3 NNNN.NN 0075.35 Brown Glass 3 NNNN.NN 0021.79 Clear Glass 3 NNNN.NN 0137.55 Paper 3 NNNN. NN 0247.89 in Metals 3 NNNN.NN 0025.29 Textiles 3 NNNN.NN 0016.45 Other 3 NNNN.NN 0048.40 i' BoxTareWeight 3 NNNN.NN 0001.35 Id, 28 bytes l EMPTYING LOG if. LastEmptiedDateTime 5 DATETIME 19/09/0416:15 |, OperatorlD 4 ASCII A62X k Green Glass 2 NN.NN 02.35 bill Brown Glass 2 NN.NN 01.68 Clear Glass 2 NN.NN 00.25 Paper 2 NN.NN 03.65 | Metals 2 NN.NN 00.65 Textiles 2 NN.NN 00.00 Other 2 NN.NN 00.00 23 bytes i, it The example tag data structure identified above would require use of only 103 of the available 192 bytes,: of public memory space in the Hitag1 REID chip, although a few additional bytes will be required for 'it-: checksum / version control, etc i' ji ail Enviro (O

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Identification of Operator It Is proposed that the REID tag technology used for box idenbficabon be also employed for operator identification, in this case probably worn on a wristband. The operator-lD and operator details would be stored in the depot database, where these would be used for time / attendance monitoring, productivity measurement, etc. An operator tag data-structure can be readily defined If the need for anything other than a unique operator-lD Is required, and example of which can be found below: OPERATOR DATA Bytes Type Example FamilyName 16 ASCII Polonios GivenName 16 ASCII Torque PayrollNo 8 ASCII BC03451X DepotRef 8 ASCII M0000001 StartDate 4 DATE 23/06/2004 52 bytes

LAST SHIFT DATA

ShftDate 4 DATE 23/06/2004 Time-On 3 HH:MM:SS 07:35:22 Time- Off 3 HH:MM:SS 16:07:35 CollectionVehcleNo 8 ASCII BC14057X 18 bytes

WEEKLY DATA

NormalWeeklyHours 2 HH:MM 37:30 CoreHoursWorked 2 HH:MM 37:30 AdditonalHoursWorked 2 HH:MM 06:40 6 bytes l ON-CART SYSTEM SystemLogOnTime 5 DATETIME 19/09/2004 08:12 CartSystemlD 8 ASCII RC01345S SystemLogOffTime 5 DATETIME 1 9/09/200410:1 5 TotalKmTravelied 2 NN.NN 10. 67 TotalBoxesEmptied 2 NNNN 0215 TotalKgPaper 3 NNNN.NN 0312.47 TotalKgMetals 3 NNNN.NN 0092.32 TotalKgTextiles 3 NNNN.NN 0047.47 TotalKgClearGlass 3 NNNN.NN 0286.30 TotaiKgGreenGlass 3 NNNN.NN 0124.85 TotalKgBrownGlass 3 NNNN.NN 0086.35 _,. TotalKgOther 3 NNNN.NN 0124.95 43 bytes it., i' | Enviro (hi)

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| The structure proposed above will require 119 of the available 192 bytes of public data within the Hitag1 | REID chip, although a few additional bytes will be required for checksum / version control, etc. toIdentification of Recycling Bags Identification of the cart recycling bags Is necessary so that a record can be maintained of which boxes were emptied into which bag by whom, when and where. Again, for ease of integration and robustness it is suggested that low-frequency REID tags should be affixed to the bag In a place accessible to the jib operator, possibly to one of the bag handles or placed in a small pocket attached to the bag handle. Whilst the unique identifier from the tag may be sufficient for identification purposes where access to the database Is possible, for example within the Depot, it may be useful to exploit a bag-tag data-structure so |, that information about operator / cart / location etc Is returned to the depot with the collected bag, rather than awaiting upload to the master database of information from the Cart Data System before this information is known.

E Given that the bags are required to be lifted from the cart full, it Is important that bags are regularly pected so that they can be repaired or replaced if physical damage is identified, to avoid accident. It is - : suggested therefore that a part of the bag tag data area is used to hold information on inspection, to sure that the bag is OK to use when the operator places it empty onto his cart. In addition, keeping a running total of the number of times the bag has been filled will enable comparative measures on bag life he maintained, particularly useful when comparing bags from different suppliers.

BAG DATA Bytes Type Example BagReference 8 ASCII CB95749Z DateSuppled 4 DATE 17/01/2004 Lastinspected 4 DATE 17/01/2004 BaginspectorName 16 ASCII FRED JONES NextinspectionDue 4 DATE 17/01/2005 FillCounter 4 NNNN 0042 CONTENTS DATA 40 bytes OnCartTimeDate 5 DATETIME 24/06/04 07.29 OperatorlD 8 ASCII 07:35.22 CartlD 8 ASCII 16:07:35 Contents 8 ASCil METAL FuilDateTime 5 DATETIME 24/06/04 09:13 FuliWeightKg 3 NNNN.NN 0154.36 LocationPostCode 8 ASCII B4 7XG (GPSLocation) (12) (Numeric) ( ) CollectionvehicleNo 8 ASCII BC14057X CoilectionDateTime 5 DATETIME 24/06/0410:46 58 (70) bytes

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I Eli VATS wm The structure proposed above with require 98 (110) of the available 192 bytes of public data within the Hitag1 RFID chip, although a few additional bytes will be required for checksum / version control etc..

On-Cart Data-Collection System (OCDCS) The cart operator is primarily responsible for handling the household recycling boxes and will therefore be fully involved with the collection of data through use of an On-Cart Data Collection System. The OCDCS will be required to interrogate the box / operator / bag tags and to weigh, record and totalise the weigh of each segregated recyclable placed in the recovery sacks. This system will record all of the necessary data and allow upload to the MIS on return to the depot. It is essential, however, that the need to collect data does not introduce a large number of additional and onerous tasks that will slow down the operator.

The primary functions of the OCDCS system can be summarised as: Reading of box tag Control of box clamps (if used) Weighing of segregated contents Control of hopper heads to release weighed contents Into bags Writing to box tag to update collection Information Saving of box / contents data for subsequent analysis Printing of collection receipt for household Reading of bag tags Writing of bag tags on full bags In addition, the OCDCS will also be required to read and write the Operator tag when an operator "signs- on" to or "signs-off" from the OCDCS system.

A Possible Operation Sequence 1) At commencement of the shift, the Operator "signs on" to the cart weighing system using his wristband tag. This identifies the operator with the cart until the operator "signs off".

2) The operator scans each bag-tag using the tethered reader attached to the cart weighing system.

This identifies the bags on the cart into which materials will be placed. This is done at the i commencement of the shift and each time a full bag is off-loaded and new empty bag is placed on t - the cart. l 13 l l r

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Enviro (O : in NOVA E 'A wm 3) The operator picks up a recycling box and places it onto the unloading platform on the side of the cart. The tag-reader built into the unloading platform interrogates the box-tag, retnevng the household leveMnformation and displaying this to the operator. This action also locks the box to the unloading platform and zeros the hopper weighing heads. .

4) The on-cart GPS receiver reads the current position and compares this with the location information contained within the tag, identifying any significant deviation, i.e. where a box is in the wrong location.

5) The operator picks materials from the recycling box, sorting these into the appropriate hopper.

6) When the box is empty, the Operator presses a green button. At this point the hopper contents are weighed and released into the bags.

7) The weights for each category of recyclable are recorded Into the OCDCS memory 8) The box-tag emptying log is updated with the current date and time and operator ID and the recorded category weights are updated The box-tag total weights are also incremented by the recorded values.

9) When the tag updating Is completed, a green light indicates that the operator can remove the empty box and the box-lock is released.

10) A receipt for the householder is printed by the wireless thermal printer mounted on the cart or worn on the operator's belt, and placed in the empty box. This reports to the householder the date and time of collection, the operator ID and the amounts of material recovered In each category of recyclable, together with their cumulative totals.

OCDCS Hardware It is Initially envisaged that the OCDCS will be based either around a ruggedised tablet / laptop PC equipped with the appropriate peripherals for weighing / tag reading / receipt printing or be custom built i from commercrallyAavailable microprocessor boards and other peripherals as required. It Is suggested, for ease of development and testing, that the OCDCS is partitioned into two sub-systems; one dealing with the weighing and control of hoppers and the second handling all transachons with tags and the operator. ! Required peripherals / functionality will include: | in, Tag reader(s) for LF REID tags on box / operator / bag / cart l Weighing heads to measure bag contents Non-volatile removable memory card for upload of data to MIS Simple usemnterface and operating sequence | Enviro (in) INNOVATE 'a' Am i.

In-bult or wireless receipt printer (optional) GPS location technology (optional) GSM / GPRS modem for remote communications (optional) Appropnate Interlocks to cart control system (optional) !] Weighing System The weighing system must be able to measure and record the weight of each category of recyclable recovered from the recycling box and store this information against the household / box data There are at least three potential approaches to this problem including: 1) Measure the Increase In total weight of each sack as material Is added 2) Measure the decrease in the total weight of the recyclables box as material Is removed from the box and added to the sacks " 3) Segregate recyclables from the box into temporary containers before adding to the total sack contents.

Increase in Sack Total Weight I This will require that each sack is placed on a separate weighing platform in the truck or is suspended, from an Individual we/gluing arm mounted on the truck. Each platform / weighing arm must be capable of 11 withstanding the maximum full-bag weight with an appropriate overload margin and good shock resistance Ill and a fairly high resolution system with good linearity will be required. For the weighing platforms this will al require appropriate compression load-cells to be Integrated into the platform support system with 1l i- appropriate compensation for off-centre loadings. For a weighing arm, a single tension load-cell could be l| attached to a cantilever arm to "suspend" the bag clear of the cart floor. This arm could also acts as a I small crane or hoist to demount full bags from the cart onto the pavement for subsequent collection by the larger vehicles. This approach places no constraints upon the operator to follow a defined sequence of l operations, except the requirement to "tare" the system when starting to unload a new box and Indicate;I' when the box has been completely emptied so that the increase in weight of each sack can be measured li (and this could be automated by sensing the placement and removal of the box from the platform). The it| potential difficulty with this approach is that high resolution, high accuracy load cells will be required to;lt ensure adequate resolution when weighing of almost empty sacks. To Illustrate this, an accuracy of 0.1% ''I FSO represents a point error of + /- 0.2 Kg when weighing 200 Kg. However, when weighing 10Kg on the 1l j: 1 i Each of these three approaches places different requirements and constraints on the weighing system and ODeratOr. or

Enviro _ INNOVATE Hi' wm same load-cell, the point error would be +/- 0.2 Kg in 10Kg, an actual error of +/- 2% compared with the

0.1% FSO In the load-cell specification.

Decrease in Total Box Weight An alternative, simpler approach could be to provide only a single weighing platform on the cart onto which the box is placed whilst the contents are segregated into the sacks. The decrease in box weight would indicate how much weight had been removed by the operator as the segregation progressed. One advantage of this approach Is that only a single weighing platform would be required, capable of handling the maximum weight of a full box. However, the main disadvantage, which renders this approach impracticable, is that the picking sequence of materials from the box would either need to fixed, or the operator would need to indicate at each stage which materials were being separated.Additionally, any materials not placed in a box, for example placed in Gamer bags or other containers would need to be placed on the platform which would need to be "zeroed" prior to picking.

Weighing of Segregated Materials A third approach, which alms to remove the problems associated with load-cell capacity and resolution is to pick materials from the box into a series of temporary containers, each equipped with load-cells. It is envisaged that this could take the form of a series of hoppers suspended from the cart and placed over each of the recycling bags, colour coded for ease of identification. The base of each hopper would have electronically operated flaps that could be opened by the weighing system to release the contents. The operator would pick and sort materials from the box into each hopper. Once the box was empty the operator would indicate that the picking was complete, possibly by simply removing the box from the cart, which would initiate a weighing cycle from each hopper and "release" the materials into the respective sacks. Whilst this approach will still require one weighing head per hopper, the constraints on linearity and l accuracy are reduced as the maximum capacity of the hopper can be much smaller than the total bag 41 weight. Additionally, compared with suspending the bags from a weighing arm, the mechanical design of with the hopper supports will again be simplified, due to the reduced weight that must be supported.

Mechanical Design Requirement Clearly option three which Involves the picking of recyclable materials from the customer box into one of seven separate hoppers has an associated mechanical design requirement. The hoppers will require electrically operate "flaps" to release materials into the sacks below at the end of the weighing cycle; be _= instrumented by the Integration of appropriate load-cells and have some form of attachment or location h method for the bags that does not affect the weighing performance. The detailed design of the hoppers is a, not a part of the feasibility study, but it is believed that appropriate hoppers could be constructed at reasonable cost, particularly if the hopper-heads were plastic mouldings, which would reduce weight, t

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improve corrosion resistance and decrease noise when materials were placed in the hoppers. It Is l believed that this option is the most feasible of the three approaches presented above Remote Communications and Location Technology The system design employing read-write REID tags and storage of data Into the OCDCS has been deliberately designed to be capable of operation without a remote real-time connection to the central database. However there are several opportunities where the integration of remote communications and / or location tracking could be advantageous: If additional mobile operators are required to deal with large amounts of materials the proximity of carts to the required location could be quickly checked so that additional units could be re- drected to where they are required.

Where hazardous materials are encountered it will be possible to record the locations centrally and alert the required services to deal properly with the issue.

When full bags are deposited to await collection it could be useful If the central depot was to receive an SMS (text) message or email from the OCDCS, identifying the location and contents of bags to be collected.

If an operator experiences difficulties either mechanical or personal a knowledge of their exact location will greatly speed the provision of assistance Location Technology (GPS) The OCDCS could be fitted with technology capable of measuring the current cart position or which allows the current locations of mobile carts to be tracked. The integration of a Global Positioning System (GPS) facility into the OCDCS would allow the location of each box-cart transaction to be recorded and for the progress of the cart to be downloaded on return to the depot. This information would be especially helpful when assessing the yield of recyclable materials using GIS mapping technology. A simple GPS system could take the form of a low battery powered GPS receiver connected to the OCDCS via a serial port or OEM GPS modules could be integrated into the OCDCS design. I Location Tracking If there Is a requirement to track the progress of the cart in real-time from a central control point a different form of technology must be applied. In this case a small transmitter module would be fitted to the

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l i' Enviro (i iNNVAwTE cart and this would transmit the cart location to a satellite network, allowing the cart progress to be tracked j; via the Internet or via a dedicated base-station.

Remote Communications Most urban areas now have good coverage from the various cellular networks that abound, as amply demonstrated by the tremendous uptake of mobile (cellular) 'phones. This has given rise to the availability of a number of OEM modules that allow these technologies to be used by systems other than mobile phone.

GSM networks generally provide a Short Message Service (SMS) text message capability which could be used by the OCDSCS via a GSM modem to dial-up and send an SMS message to a central control point.

Additionally, it would be possible for central control to send an SMS message to the OCDCS, perhaps displaying a message for the operator or requesting information from the OCDCS, e.g. current location; locations / statistics of filled bags, etc. subject to the limitation on message length of around 200 characters or so.

GPRS (General Packet Radio System) network coverage Is increasingly rapidly and many mobile 'phones now have access to the Internet via GPRS. Again, GPRS modems are becoming available that will allow a remote device to access a web-site to upload or download nformabon, which may be preferable if larger amounts of data are to be transferred than can be handled by GSM.

It is possible to conceive of many situations where being able to transfer data to / from a central point to the mobile unit is desirable and the technology Is readily available to do this, If the additional costs can be justified.

Database / Data Managem.ent System

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The data generated from the OCDCS and scanning of operator and bag tags within the depot(s) must be maintained within a centralized relational database so that the necessary information can be extracted for a variety of purposes including: Assessing total yields of recyclable materials on a geographical or time-sequence basis Forward planning of collection dates or special collections Time / attendance / efficiency of operators b', in, :\ r.

\,d, 4, Enviro (I iNOWE \s Tracking the current locations of carts / operators and collection vehicles Control of all assets Including boxes / bags / carts / vehicles The design and implementation of the database must ensure that the information generated by carts / 7 operators / managers can be stored securely in a form that allow flexible reporting of management level and individual item history level A variety of user-interfaces will be required for uploading of data from the OCDSC memory cards; for data entry and maintenance and for a variety of reporting functions.

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j Database Development | It is suggested that the database be developed using Microsoft SQLServer 2003, a scalable relational database with good data security ideally suited to Enterprise applications. This also provides excellent I flexibility for remote access via the Brumcan intranet, the Internet and from mobile devices if required. It is suggested that a dedicated data server is identified on which the database will be hosted. i

Database Design Clearly the detailed design of the underpinning database cannot form a part of the feasibility study. | However, by way of illustration of the approach recommended, the relationship diagram below identifies how some of the required linkages between entities could be maintained through appropriate management of the relationships Unlike a spreadsheet, which is essentially a flat table structure, a relational database manages the,' relationships between data entities as well as the data itself. In the relationship diagram it is possible to | see that certain entitles have been separated and their information is stored in separate tables - for | example Operators, Locations, Carts, Bags, Boxes Households and materials details are all held in i|

separate tables. |

The relationships between items are then held in separate tables. For example if we examine the Boxesissued table, this simply maintains the linkage between the BoxlD field of the BoxDetails table and the HouseholdlD of the HouseholdDetails table, together with the date issued. If the BoxTag were I replaced, the box was re-allocated to a different Household or an additional box was issued to the same | Household, this would generate a new record in the Boxesissued table. | Similarly, if we examine the CollectionRecords table, it can be seen that a CollectionRecord comprises the date, time and location of the collection and the Operator, Cart and OCDCS tag numbers. A collection is | j simply an instance of a box, cart, OCDCS, operator and location. However, in order to identify what is

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Enviro (I INNOVAWlE gathered during each collection and where it Is placed a bag filling record wlli be generated by the OCDCS at the end of the box emptying cycle. A single collection w'll generate up to seven associated bag filling records The BagFiiiingRecord table contains the ColiectionRecordiD (to maintain the link back to cart operator; OCDCS; iocabon) and the BagTagiD material identifier and BagNetWeght at completion of the cycle updated when the OCDCS completes its weighing cycle.

Whilst this should not be construed as a detailed design for the database it is illustrative of the way in which unique identifiers can be used to manage quite complex "one to many" and "many to one relationships within a Relational Database.

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Enviro (id) lltNO\/ATE Stoned Implementation Although this feasibility outlines a comprehensive system for the tracking and traceability of all operations within the Brumcan operation, it is possible to implement this as a series of discrete stages If this Is felt to be more suited to the current business climate.

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Detailed Requirements Capture exercise through consultation with all stakeholders and potential technology partners / providers. This will require shadowing of Brumcan staff including Managers, Supervisors and mobile and depot based operators.

STAGE 1 Develop and Implement centralised database and data upload with base level reporting Design and build OCDCS and weighing system to provide weighing and tag- reading capability Design and implement software for OCDCS Tag boxes with read-write RFID tags Stage 1 will provide the capability to record what weight of each material is recovered from each | household, but will not maintain the linkage to Operator / Cart / Bag required for full traceability.

Implement tagging of operators, carts and OCDCS systems! Develop the in-depot bme and attendance monitoring system for operators.

Stage 2 will provide the linkage between operators and box level transaction and provide management level information on al! operators mobile and depot based.

STAGE 3 Implement tagging of recovery bags to record mobile operator transactions Implement handheld reader solution for operators involved In depot based bag operations. i

r Stage 3 will provide full traceability from bag to box / operator This can be a staged operation as new nags are added to the system or when bags are inspected.

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Enviro ItiNOVATc MY wm STAGE 4 j Fully implement all reporting functions within the database, providing intranet and internet based access as appropriate.

STAGE 5 Add GPS location and GSM remote communication facilbes to each mobile unit. This will allow | recording of the locations visited by each cart and the sending and receiving of SMS messages STAGE 6 Add satellite tracking facility and upgrade GSM to GPRS allowing web- based access to central database from the cart and accesses to the OCDCS from a central location.

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Conclusions

The development and implementation of a full track / traceability system for the recovery of recyclable materials is practicable for the Brumcan operation and it is believed that there are no major technological barriers to be overcome.

If information is required down to a household level to allow individualized rather than Community based incentive / reward structures to be adopted it is essential to identify individual boxes; "assign" these to households and record the detailed recovery from each box.

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Given the environmental constraints and potential for damage and contamnabon it is recommended that read-wnte REID technology be adopted for Identifying plastic bins. Appropriate tags can be readily retrofitted In the field or integrated into new bins as art of the manufacturing process. This will also allow data to be stored on the bin tag for use by subsequent operators In order to provide the necessary data management and handling of inter-relationships to provide powerful reporting, it is recommended that a centralised database be designed and developed using Microsoft SQLServer2003 A custom on-cart data collection system (OCDCS) will be required to capture the necessary Information at each box / cart transaction for subsequent uploading to the central database.

To provide full upstream and downstream traceability it is recommended that all entitles involved in the collection and sorting of recovered materials be identified, including Operators; Carts and Bags In addition to collection boxes.

The integration of GPS location technology; satellite tracking and GSM / GPRS based mobile communications Into the OCDSC will provide important recording and communications capabilities to protect the operator and allow more efficient deployment and scheduling of mobile units. lo'

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Claims (43)

1. A mobile identification system with appropriate silicon based semiconductor Read-Write Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) data capture /storage technologies to collect and store waste arisings raw data at an individual household level (or equivalent premises producing waste materials), integrated with a comprehensive data management system.

2. The RFID enabled system has five key elements, RFID tags on recycling boxes; RFID wrist tag for Brumcan Recycling Assistants; RFID tags on recycling bags; On-Cart mobile Data Collection System (OCDCS); Recycling information management system database (RIMS).

3. The system is mobile by virtue of an "On Cart Data Collection System," where the Cart is an electric pedestrian controlled vehicle (PCV).

4. The electric Cart is a 4-wheeled, pedestrian-controlled vehicle, with fixed sides and roller platforms. Typically, of width 82cms and a total Cart platform length (not including tiller) of 2.58 metros. The Cart must be able to safely manoeuvre around street corners and kerbs.

5. The Cart has the ability of the loaded vehicle and batteries to climb over herbs up to 16 ems while maintaining a stable load reaching 1 meter above the deck and with traction from rear wheels as complete as possible.

6. The Cart platform height is 60 ems or under so as to minimise the difficulty of loading and to maximise vehicle volume.

7. The overall weight should be minimised to reduce wear and tear and damage to pavements, as well as overall battery requirements (below 450kg preferred).

8. The workload requirements of the electric Cart set out below must be met in combination - not just individually.

9. The minimum workload will be 400-500 stops/starts per day on a 7-1 Okm long route, with a load rising to a maximum of 400kg during an 8-9 hour working day.

10. It is desirable for the PCV to be able to increase its stops/starts to 500-600 along routes of 11 -13 km length, pulling a second cart with loads of 400 additional kg and working up to 10-12 hours/daily.

11. A maximum speed of 6 kph is sufficient with controls designed so that slower speeds are easily maintained by the operator.

12. The Cart must be able to regularly (hundreds of times per week) and smoothly go over small 6 cm herbs, hollows, rough spots in the pavements etc. and be able to climb larger kerbs (e.g. 12cms) as it moves from street to pavement and back again. The rear wheels should maintain traction as as completely as possible when this operation must be undertaken at an angle to the kerb. It will also be required to climb ramps on the vehicles or trailers which may be used to deliver and collect it.

13. It should turn in a tight radius, back-up, manoeuvre and respond easily. A tight turning radius is imperative for operations and the turning radius must be specified by the supplier (e.g. Approx 2.0 - 2.3 meters will be considered acceptable). Hills will be a feature along routes so both climb and braking features are important to ensure the Cart does not slip out of control. The Cart must not accelerate noticeably while carrying a load downhill.

14. The Cart must fit in with pedestrian traffic on pavements (prams, wheelchairs and children) without causing actual or perceived risk/damage. The Cart will be manoeuvring between trees, cars and pedestrians - which means any incidents of damage to car, paint or tree bark (much less pedestrians) will be extremely costly. Therefore the design must ensure that there are no sharp edges, protruding screws/hooks/poles.

15. Since the Cart will be moving past many pedestrians and children and the recycler will often be 1-5 meters away, secure means to ensure that inadvertent or deliberate alterations/removal of the Cart are eliminated are important. These systems will need to be as convenient for the recycler as possible, e.g. an electronic security pin code 'key.'

16. The Cart will be filled and emptied at least 5 times daily and as much as 10 times daily.

17. The l-Platform/Deck design for unloading sacks of material must have a series or plate of rollers that will enable the full sacks of recyclables - weighing between 50 - 350kg, to be "rolled" off the side of the deck and onto the street. These rollers or castors must be able to withstand having objects such as glass bottles dropped onto them (protected perhaps only by a polypropylene sack); be able to bear the weight and movement of materials in sacks; be able to maintain long-term operability in an environment of dirt and rain; be spaced approximately 4cms apart; be easily removed for access to batteries; be underlain by a simple plastic or metal sheet to protect batteries and parts from excessive dirt falling through the rollers; be set as a slight incline from the road-side to pavement side to assist unloading.

18. II - Framework - The framework must have four metal, fixed corner posts rising to 1 meter. Fixed top rail to front and rear side. Measures should be taken to reduce rattling sounds from vehicle. Smooth faced 20 inch high drop sides, hinged at bottom. These must be able to be locked in the up and down position. A weighing station consisting of a series of weighing 'hoppers' are arranged above the bulking bags to allow for accurate weights of the materials collected for recycling to be taken. There should be sufficient space (approximately 1.5 feet) above the bag height to allow for the operator to continue to work. This new feature is to ensure that the various materials can be weighed before being stored inside the individual bulking bags. The weight of each material type presented by the individual waste producers/households may be recorded at individual household level.

19. Each side of the Cart should have either 4 vertical plates spaced equally apart, or a fixed rubber bar, on which to hang the recycling box lip, thus maintaining both hands free for sorting. These plates must be strong enough to maintain its integrity through thousands of usages (e.g. Holding boxes full of materials weighing between 5-1 Okg).

20. The front side of the cart should have a solid surface 0.75 metros high for presenting logos and colours. This surface should be stable, suitable for painting and without any sharp edges or corners. Two A4 size document holders to be affixed to front face of front bulk head with hinged lids for weather protection.

21. While aluminium may be used in the framework and will help to reduce weight, the frame must be sturdy and long-lasting enough to handle the sorts of work described.

22. 20 inch high smooth faced tail board hinged at bottom chained to each side to allow it to sit horizontally for additional sacks to be carried.

23. A storage box for operatives to store personal belongings should also be provided. The storage box must be located so as to not reduce the square area of the platform. The cart must have four lifting hooks so it may be safely lifted by crane vehicle on and off a flat-bed truck.

24. On the front bulk head should be sited a flashing beacon. The position of the beacon should be at a level which although out of the direct view of the operative will not hinder the movement of the vehicle under low branches.

25. The Cart should have 12 quick release adjustable clip attachments to secure sacks to top rail of cart, enabling the bag straps to be pulled tight quickly without tying.

26. The Cart tiller should include controls for horn, lights indicators etc. and must be set so that it does not "slam" back against the front panel.

27. Batteries must be capable of providing sufficient power for the work described.

28. Batteries must be placed to ensure easy access and removal

29. The Cart must allow the operator to see at a glance the level of charge left in the battery as well as other critical monitoring/sensor functions. The Cart will not only travel on the pavement, but on the street at times, and will also be reversed at times - and therefore will require appropriate lighting, indicators, etc. Horns or other sounding devices must be included for safety reasons.

30. Other components (such as controllers, power, drive and transmission systems, brakes; weighing station etc) should be specified and supplied with the understanding that very high levels of operator and pedestrian safety are required for this vehicle, and that there is a preference towards high quality systems that will function at the maximum of stability, consistency and durability.

31. The method of battery charging is without using a charger and by directly plugging into a 13amp plug.

32. Batteries must be capable of powering a lap-top computer and the electronic weighing station (weighing hoppers) in addition to other requirements.

33. The wheels/lyres must be capable of dealing with a significant amount of broken glass, cans, nails along their daily routes. It is important that the tyres distribute the laden Carts weight over as large a surface as possible, therefore any methods for reducing direct weighVpressures on pavements and paving stones would be useful. 10" tyres improve herb climbing capabilities and to reduce pressure on pavements. These tyres should have deep treads to enable it to climb slippery surfaces.

34. The system allows for the specific identification of households (or equivalent premises producing waste materials), waste containers, waste collection vehicles, waste collection operatives, individual waste material types and individual weights of each particular waste material collected on the vehicle; allowing complete upward and downward traceability.

35. The identification of items allows data about the items to be linked within the data management system which can provide management reports and full traceability down to household (or equivalent premises producing waste materials) level if required.

36. Item Attendant Data is captured at the point of collection with the On Cart Data Collection System using a passive semiconductor (powered by the interrogator, with no internal battery) housed on the waste container relating to the particular waste producer ( i.e. individual household or equivalent premises producing the waste materials. Direct line of sight is not required to read-write.

37. The system provides for the automation of data input & transfer between systems & output using "machine readable" data carriers. The next users access the most up to date data from the item.

38. The system comprises three main sub-systems: 1) REID data carrier technology; 2) Mobile computing and communications comprising handheld devices, wireless LAN, mobile access to the internet, location technologies such as GPS; 3) A robust 'back-office' system i.e. a data 'warehouse' or knowledge repository for intelligent processing, forecasting, scheduling. Em

39. The On Cart Data Collection System (OCDCS) comprises of a reader for the Operator Tag, bag tag & bin tag, an on-board weighing system for the waste materials to be recycled, the possibility of GPS for real-time location, the possibility of GSM/GPRS for real time communications, the OCDCS records all transactions between operator / bags / bins and stores data on-cart, the OCDCS data uploaded to Management System on return to depot (or by remote communications if required.

40. The operator has a unique RFID wrist tag and 'signs' onto the cart, the recovery bags have a RFID bag-tag which is read by the OCDCS. This is used both for time / attendance monitoring and to provide traceability of who emptied which box and handled which bags. Each bag used to hold the recyclables will carry an RFID tag to identify it to the OCDCS, to maintain a link between box contents; recycling bag; cart and operator. The OCDCS reads the RFID waste container (bin) tag, relating to a particular waste producer, the operator picks the bin contents (waste materials) onto the cart hopper(s), the weights of each waste category are measured and stored on the OCDCS for subsequent upload to RDMS (Remote Data Management Storage) or RIMS, the results are also written into the waste container(bin) tag providing running totals of each category and time/date of last collection, the data is written to full bag tags when left for pick-up.

41. The OCDCS will have the capability to read the RFID tags on boxes / bags / wristbands and to weigh the materials recovered into each category of recyclable. The box tag will be read by the OCDCS; each category of recyclable weighed and bagged, and the data written both into the OCDCS for subsequent download and updated in the box tag. If required a small receipt can also be printed and placed in the emptied box, informing the household of recovery, cumulative totals, etc.

42. The back office system contains a robust relational database which holds all the information i.e. data from the OCDCS, data from the scanning of operators and bag tags within the depot, provides assessments of yields of recyclable materials, geographical &/or time sequenced basis, forward planning of collection dates, assessing the relative efficiency of operators, tracking the current locations of carts/vehicles, provision of full traceability to household, cart, bag, bin operator level as required. The data from the OCDCS will be downloaded into RIMS, possibly via a removable memory card and inserted into the data management system for reporting and traceability. Am

43. A mobile data collection and management system substantially as herein described and illustrated, in respect of waste materials collection & recycling operations, making use of read-write REID tagging of items pertaining the system.