LoRaWAN and Urban Waste Management-A Trial

Area of Science:

• Smart City Technology
• Wireless Communication Networks
• Environmental Management Systems

Background:

• Lisbon faces challenges in managing numerous waste and recycling containers across the city.
• Current waste management relies on Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) sensors, which have limitations in range and cost-effectiveness.
• The Lisbon Smart City initiative seeks to optimize urban services through technological integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) technology for waste management in Lisbon.
• To compare LPWAN performance against existing GSM solutions, focusing on range, cost, and provisioning.
• To identify optimal LPWAN configurations for various waste container types and placements.

Main Methods:

• Selected LoRa (Long Range) and LoRaWAN as the LPWAN technologies for trials.
• Conducted use-case studies involving different distances, waste container types (surface and underground), and sensor models.
• Measured signal attenuation and link budget performance, particularly for underground containers.

Main Results:

• LPWAN technology, specifically LoRaWAN, demonstrated successful waste level monitoring capabilities.
• Underground waste containers presented significant signal attenuation (up to 26 dB), posing a challenge for reliable communication.
• The trials confirmed the potential of LPWAN to improve range and reduce costs compared to GSM.

Conclusions:

• The successful trial results support the deployment of a city-wide LoRaWAN network for Lisbon's waste management.
• The established network will be accessible to all Lisbon City Council departments, enhancing operational efficiency.
• The municipality plans to offer free network access to citizens, fostering broader smart city engagement.