A few days ago, Telefónica announced that it will start selling industrial 5G services in Spain from January and, once the spectrum has been reorganized, individuals will also be able to enjoy its 5G SA network. What we are going to talk about now, however, is about a project related to 5G Narrow Band (NB-IoT) connectivity.
Telefónica Tech has integrated this technology in the so-called “Smart yellow containers”, some connected containers that are already present in Sant Boi de Llobregat (Barcelona) and that allow citizens to achieve tokenization benefits through proper recycling.
Recognize garbage and reward the citizen
Telefónica Tech and Ecoembes have collaborated to apply 5G Narrow Band connectivity to the recycling sector. As we know, 5G Narrow Band (NB-IoT) technology allows to extend the durability of batteries and reduce energy consumption in the wireless transmission of information, as well as increase the capacity of the system and spectral efficiency.
The Telefónica and Ecoembes project includes smart yellow containers with a technological ring capable of recognize the barcode on the container and thus identify what type of waste is deposited within them.
In addition to solar batteries and 5G Narrow Band connectivity, the rings have different sensors that read and transmit the data to platforms where they are managed to obtain the traceability of deposited containers. Thus, it is possible to know, for example, what type of waste has been deposited, in what area, at what time or frequency of use.
In addition to solar batteries and 5G Narrow Band connectivity, the container ring has different sensors that read and transmit the data
The objective of it is reward citizens for recycling cans and bottles of plastic within the Ecoembes Recycling and Refund System (SDR). This SDR, which is already present in all the autonomous communities, currently rewards users with social and environmental incentives, but with the arrival of these new smart yellow containers it aims to further promote recycling.
At the moment, this recycling project is being developed in Sant Boi de Llobregat (Barcelona) and initially consists of 16 connected containers, although Ecoembes intends to take it to more municipalities in Spain. Regarding the reward, the citizen can identify himself in the webapp and accumulate a series of points (tokens) to exchange them later for environmental incentives or donate them to social causes.
If someone decides recycle anonymously, the tokens obtained are not lost, but are added to a generic account that can also be used for social associations. This entire process is certified through blockchain technology.