Facility Cleaning 4.0 – How Sensor-Based Waste Management Cuts Costs and Optimizes Processes

Cost Pressures as a Driver of Innovation

Cleaning service providers face intense challenges: labor shortages, rising wages, and fierce price competition. Personnel and cost pressures are among the industry’s top concerns. When staff absences occur, operations can quickly falter.

One lever that is becoming increasingly important is digitization specifically, the use of sensors and data to make cleaning processes more efficient. Waste emptying in particular offers often underestimated savings potential here: Traditionally, waste bins etc. are emptied according to a fixed plan, regardless of the actual fill level. As a result, the majority of emptying takes place without need. Studies show that up to 80% of waste bins in office buildings are emptied unnecessarily an enormous A Expenditure and cost factor. Who doesn't know it? The cleaning staff empties an almost empty trash can, replace the trash bag  and unnecessary plastic waste is created. This approach is not only inefficient but also costly.

This is exactly where sensor-based waste management comes in (see: Level sensors for waste containers): Garbage containers are only emptied when they are really full. The cleaning staff saves themselves unnecessary checks and can use their working time more productively. In office cleaning, up to 25% of personnel costs can be saved if waste bins are emptied as needed instead of according to a fixed schedule.

Savings potential and higher efficiency

The effects of this optimized procedure on the cost structure are significant. There round 20-30% of total office cleaning costs If waste disposal accounts for, the savings potential is enormous. Put simply, smart waste solutions help to reduce the effort required to empty waste bins that are barely filled saving time and money for everyone involved. The result? More orders, higher team workload and overall increased competitiveness on the market.

Practical example

A practical example illustrates the effect: In a modern office complex with around 1,000 workplaces, large quantities of packaging, paper and residual waste were produced every day. Without a smart waste solution, the cleaning team has so far emptied each of the more than 300 waste bins twice a day regardless of the fill level. After installing level sensors, it quickly became clear that on average, only around 20% of the containers were actually full by the scheduled emptying date. Today, cleaners specifically only target the containers that send a fill level signal. As a result, only around 100 containers need to be emptied per day instead of 300. This drastic reduction in effort resulted in approximately 25% fewer staff hours spent emptying waste time that can now be spent on other tasks such as disinfecting touchpoints or cleaning floors. In just the first year after the changeover, tens of thousands of euros could be saved.

The increase in efficiency is also being felt internally: Workers who previously spent a good part of their shift checking and emptying barely filled containers can now take on other tasks. The overall cleaning quality is increasing as personnel resources are used more specifically where they are really needed. Reducing the workload in this routine area often increases employee motivation they experience that their work is becoming more effective and that they have more time for the really important tasks. At the same time, the acceptance of new technologies within the team increases when it becomes clear that they help relieve employees and make routine work easier.

A look at current users shows the potential of building cleaning 4.0: Already 7 of the top 10 facility management companies in Germany use smart waste solutions from Hailo digital_hub, a total of over 1,000 systems are in use. These industry pioneers have recognized that digital efficiency can be translated directly into business success.

Optimized processes and improved service quality

In addition to the hard cost figures, sensor-based waste management also noticeably improves operational processes. Every day, the cleaners know exactly which areas really need to be visited this prevents both unnecessary operations and the risk of overflowing waste bins somewhere being overlooked. The work schedule can be made more flexible because you no longer have to stick to rigid emptying routes. In practice, this means that if, for example, there was a lot of conference activity in one day and more waste is generated there, these areas are primarily emptied, while laps can be saved in quieter areas. The teams can prioritize their assignments on a daily basis and concentrate on the really important tasks.

For customers (or building users), the difference is also evident: offices and spaces look cleaner because full waste bins are emptied in good time no one has to encounter an overfilled kitchen trash can anymore. At the same time, customers are positively noticing that cleaning teams are less disruptive in the building, as unnecessary tours are omitted. The quality of service therefore increases, which promotes client satisfaction.

Last but not least, efficiency also pays off on sustainability a: Fewer trips and fewer used trash bags mean a smaller ecological footprint of the cleaning service — an aspect that is also receiving increasing attention in tenders and among customers. (Read more in the article”Sustainability in waste management — Towards a greener office world with smart waste“.)

Conclusion

The digitization of building cleaning using sensor-based waste management is a prime example of how innovation and cost efficiency go hand in hand. Through the targeted use of technology, a traditionally labor-intensive process can be streamlined  to the advantage of service providers, their employees and customers. The investment in smart waste technology usually pays off in a short period of time through saved personnel costs and won orders. It is therefore no surprise that more and more industry leaders are relying on Building Cleaning 4.0.

Would you also like to take the step towards building cleaning 4.0 and make your processes more efficient? We can help you do just that get in touch with us now and find out how you can reduce your costs and strengthen your competitive position with Smart Waste Solutions.