Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Connected Waste Receptacles Enhance Efficiency

  • 09/01/18
Victor Stanley

Victor Stanley’s connected waste receptacles made pickup and monitoring easier for campus staff, cutting down on unnecessary waste collection in the process.

Smart, connected phones, watches, thermostats, and even refrigerators (to name just a few examples) no longer occupy the fringe of technology. In fact, our culture’s epic shift toward “The Internet of Things,” as it’s known, is in full swing. Victor Stanley, a leading designer and manufacturer of premium site furnishings, has introduced a new generation of connected, intelligent waste receptacles. They’re smart enough, in fact, to save an estimated 40 percent on litter and recycling collection expenses each year.

Mr. Patrick Harrity, Rutgers University’s director of Grounds & Fleet Operations, adopted the new waste management system in an effort to initiate “less time spent on trash bin dumping labor and less trash bag usage.”

Traditional waste management allows for receptacles to overfill before they are collected—an aesthetic and olfactory nuisance, for sure—while others sit empty, yet are collected anyway. Victor Stanley’s innovative approach allocates collection resources where and when they are needed. It turns out these smart receptacles save not only time, but also decrease fuel costs and carbon footprints.

Using GPS in conjunction with other sensors, the receptacles continuously monitor and transmit fill levels, while also conveying temperatures, weights, and other environmental data to a custom online platform. Monitoring of containers provides a holistic view of an area’s trash and recycling status, and improves landfill diversion.

Campuses can employ networks of connected receptacles that enable collection planning and routing that is substantially more efficient. To maintain aesthetics and prevent vandalism, Victor Stanley’s sensors are hidden within their litter receptacles or recycling stations. Mr. Harrity is pleased with the seamless integration, noting that Relay “matches all our other receptacles.” Victor Stanley Relay is available for new receptacles and as a retrofit for their side-door receptacles.

victorstanley.com/product/relay

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management September 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • Embry-Riddle Completes Construction on Research, Lab Facility

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced the end of construction on a new research and lab facility on campus. The Center for Aerospace Engineering II (CAT II) will support aerospace research and technology development and broke ground last summer.

  • AAADM Announces Building Safety Month Initiatives

    The American Association of Automatic Door Manufacturers (AAADM) recently announced its support of Building Safety Month as declared by the International Code Council (ICC), according to a news release.