Bigbelly Inc., a manufacturer of smart waste and recycling systems based in Needham, Massachusetts, announced it was awarded a contract with the Illinois Public Higher Education Cooperative (IPHEC), the contracting vehicle for all 13 Illinois state universities, valued at $5.7 million. Under the contract, Bigbelly will provide access up to 500 Bigbelly smart waste and recycling systems across all the universities.
The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is expanding an existing base of sixteen high capacity compactors for waste and single-stream recycling in eight locations on campus with an additional 100 components. Fifty spots in the high pedestrian traffic areas of the east and south ends of campus will house the new Bigbelly units.
Over the past 12 months, Bigbelly says the university has maintained a recycling diversion rate of 52 percent and reduced waste and recycling collections by 85 percent since installing the double units. Monthly collections have dropped from 28 to 1.5 collection per bin. The Facilities Management Grounds Department now completes collections in one weekly cycle versus the average seven times per week schedule maintained before the Bigbelly deployment.
“Bigbelly allows us to assign our crews more efficiently because waste collection takes much less time,” Carly Rizor, director for the Campus Grounds Department, says. “We are able to divert employees to other much needed assignments across campus and improve productivity."
The units will replace 189 open top existing waste bins for waste containment and pest mitigation on campus. Bigbelly says overall bin foot print will reduce by 73 percent with increased capacity and the addition of a recycling waste stream.
"We are very much invested in Bigbelly's success on the campuses of all the universities in the Illinois Public Higher Education Cooperative, and across the entire city of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs," Brian Phillips, CEO of Bigbelly, says. "Our smart city platform is unique and holds proven benefits among our many city and higher education customer."
The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is expanding an existing base of sixteen high capacity compactors for waste and single-stream recycling in eight locations on campus with an additional 100 components. Fifty spots in the high pedestrian traffic areas of the east and south ends of campus will house the new Bigbelly units.
Over the past 12 months, Bigbelly says the university has maintained a recycling diversion rate of 52 percent and reduced waste and recycling collections by 85 percent since installing the double units. Monthly collections have dropped from 28 to 1.5 collection per bin. The Facilities Management Grounds Department now completes collections in one weekly cycle versus the average seven times per week schedule maintained before the Bigbelly deployment.
“Bigbelly allows us to assign our crews more efficiently because waste collection takes much less time,” Carly Rizor, director for the Campus Grounds Department, says. “We are able to divert employees to other much needed assignments across campus and improve productivity."
The units will replace 189 open top existing waste bins for waste containment and pest mitigation on campus. Bigbelly says overall bin foot print will reduce by 73 percent with increased capacity and the addition of a recycling waste stream.
"We are very much invested in Bigbelly's success on the campuses of all the universities in the Illinois Public Higher Education Cooperative, and across the entire city of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs," Brian Phillips, CEO of Bigbelly, says. "Our smart city platform is unique and holds proven benefits among our many city and higher education customer."
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