Bee'ah, the Middle East's award-winning and leading integrated environmental and waste management company, is introducing innovative solar-powered bins across Sharjah that will act as hotspots, in line with the UAE's Innovation Week, which seeks to promote and encourage the finest ideas on innovation from government and private sectors, as well as the public. Designed and built by BigBelly, a leading provider of bin solutions in the US, the units are being rolled out starting in Sharjah, following an MOU with Bee'ah, where the company committed to several hundred wi-fi bins to be deployed across Sharjah and the UAE in prominent locations as soon as early 2016. This will make Sharjah the first location in the Middle East to have smart bin technology with wi-fi hotspot in parallel with leading cities such as London and New York. The innovative smart bins will act as wi-fi hotspots and are double streamed for increased solar capacity. They also come equipped with sensors to detects when the bin is full, and communicates with the Bee'ah control room allowing "Tandeef"'s team to make the necessary collection in an efficient and eco-friendly way. The solar panels provide the energy required to operate the compactor, which allows the bins to collect five times more trash before needing to be emptied. Commenting on the development, Salim Al Owais, chairman of Bee'ah said: "The smart wi-fi bins being introduced by Bee'ah are a step forward in environmental innovation, optimally merging efficiency and utility. The fact that Sharjah will be the region's first location to offer them is a testament to our Emirate's growing status as an environmental capital of the Middle East. This technology is part of a innovative suite of ground-breaking products and services we are in the process of rolling out, in line with innovative vision of Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, member of the Supreme Council and ruler of Sharjah, to protect the environment and ensure a sustainable future." Khaled Al Huraimel, Group CEO of Bee'ah added: "At Bee'ah, our top priority is innovation to augment the quality of life among communities in Sharjah and the UAE. How we manage waste is one of the most important challenges of our time. Smart solar-powered technology can change our lives." Bee'ah's waste collection division, Tandeef — which plays a vital role in providing coherent and sustainable environmental solutions to meet the challenges of the community it serves — consists of 2000 employees operating a fleet of more than 500 vehicles. Its street cleaning and sweeping services and commercial waste collection, alongside facilities for pubic, residential, and office and school recycling, work closely together to provide a seamless integrated environmental solution, which has made Sharjah a model to emulate across the region. The new solar bins complement Bee'ah's recently launched Tandeef Smart Eco-fleet — a revolutionary expansion for vehicular green technology and state-of-the-art functions. Encompassing sustainable, low noise electric vehicles — a first in UAE waste management – and vehicles that use Compressed Natural Gas to reduce the negative impact of CO2 emissions, the fleet improves the environmental impact of its operations with lower emissions and better efficiency. As evidenced by such developments, Bee'ah is at the forefront of the region's industry in ‘green' innovation, and is constantly seeking avenues and technologies in its quest to ensure a cleaner and healthier environment in Sharjah. — SG
