Accumulation of paper towels in public restrooms result in poor waste disposal utilization and waste overflow, leaving the room unpleasant and filthy for the user. Today, as much as 20–40% of all waste volumes originated from public or commercial buildings are generated by paper towels. Using regular waste bins, the plastic bags are disposed prematurely, i.e. before the volumetric potential is fully utilized. This gives rise to unnecessarily large quantities of plastic bags getting expended, containing more air than paper towels. Frequent disposal of waste bags results in large costs associated with cleaning and waste management of indoor public areas.
Compax Solutions develops a state-of-the-art smart waste compactor (SWC) for paper waste, which will make indoor waste management more efficient, cost-saving and more environmentally friendly. The patent-pending technology of the SWC reduces the volume of paper towel waste up to 10 times, while at the same time collecting valuable information from sensors to be visualized. The SWC will improve both the utilization of volume in the waste bins implying reduced number of plastic bags consumed, and enhance and optimize the working experience for building operators.
The overall objective of the project was twofold; (1) to develop prototypes to be tested in its natural environment in collaboration with a demanding customer and (2), to investigate and develop a commercialisation and go-to-market strategy viable for the European market.