RFID tags from Siltek help solve the environmental problems of Primorye

2022: Implementation of an automated control system for the removal of municipal solid waste

UHF-tags "S-Tag 3D-mini" produced by the Siltek Group of Companies participate in a large-scale environmental project, which is being implemented in the Primorsky Territory. In large settlements of the region - Vladivostok, Artyom, Volnonadezhdinsky, Nakhodka, Ussuriysk, Bolshoy Kamen - a system of automated control of the removal of municipal solid waste using RFID technology elements was introduced. About 12.5 thousand radio tags were 3D-mini installed on garbage containers in these settlements. Siltek announced this on July 29, 2022.

The project operator is the Digital Primorye company, the customer is the government of the Primorsky Territory. Technologically, the essence of the project is to link the actions of the carrier operator of solid municipal waste to the container of a specific consumer of the service through RFID tags.

RFID tags, securely fixed on each container in the collection points, provide quick access and change of information about a specific container: its ownership, volume, schedule of garbage collection, recorded facts of removal. The operator of the garbage truck performs these operations remotely using an RFID tag reader, which is connected via Bluetooth to a tablet or smartphone located in the garbage truck. This gadget, in turn, transmits all data to the automated system, including information about the development of each collection point, following the route and the agreed schedule. For additional control and assessment of the quality of work, each operator is equipped with a chest video camera for photo and video recording of the object before and after the provision of the service. The entire array of this data is captured in the system; deviation from the specified parameters is reflected in the report, which is automatically sent to responsible organizations for taking corrective actions.

In the central regions of Vladivostok, we have reached a marking volume of 90% of all garbage containers, in other cities it turned out to be not so dense coverage, nevertheless, the level there is sufficient, "said Aleksei Bondar, head of the Digital Primorye service. - The creation of the software complex was carried out by the Agency for Advanced Innovative Developments, attracted by the main supplier of the solution PJSC Rostelecom. Technical tasks were entrusted to the local company "Luard," which specializes in automation of technological processes at various enterprises of the Primorsky Territory and other regions. RFID tags were made by our order in the Moscow region, at the production site of the Siltek Group of Companies. By combining all these intelligent, analytical and technical resources, such an optimal and effective solution was obtained.

The basis of the round compact radio tag 3D-mini is a three-dimensional antenna of a special configuration with a reflecting radio mirror, which allows it to work on both metal and any other surfaces. The label effectively detects the signal, including being fixed on containers that can be filled with any liquid or solid content.

The body is made of material resistant to temperature differences, dirt, snow, humidity, aggressive environments. It is plastic enough not to crack under moderate impact. In addition, the plastic of the case contains special additives that allow you to apply laser marking; the number, logo or other information is resistant to fading and erasure. An important quality is ease of installation. In the case of garbage containers, the 3D-mini was fixed with only one fastening element.

Thanks to the special 3D design of the antenna, the label, being passive, that is, without a power source, can accumulate and give more radio signal energy, and also has high sensitivity, "said Maxim Selivanov, Director of the Department of Safety Technologies of the Siltek Group of Companies. - This provides a guarantee of reading and a comfortable distance for the operator to identify the mark. Moreover, an empty container or a filled container does not matter, and if it is filled, it does not matter what.

The history of the project began with a discussion of the problem of overflowing existing landfills in Primorye without sufficient and understandable reasons for this. The government of the Primorsky Territory set the task of maximizing the digitalization of waste collection planning and systematization of control over all related processes, creating an electronic model for solid municipal waste management in the Primorsky Territory, which would reflect the facts of collection in real time. This task was consonant with and consistent with the strategy for reforming the waste management industry approved by the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation: within 2-3 years, move from the estimated (averaged) payment for MSW export services to the actual calculation for MSW volume. It was decided by Digital Primorye, concluding a concession agreement in the Primorsky Territory.

The proposed technical solution - marking of containers at waste collection sites with RFID tags - ensures simultaneous control of the volume of garbage removed and the quality of services performed by the carrier operator.