AI solar smart bins to end Vic fixed-route rubbish runs

The City of Melbourne is undertaking a smart bin rollout, replacing all existing bins in the CBD with 500 solar-powered compacting bins for general waste and recycling.

The five-year contract was awarded to smart waste and recycling technology company Superfy after a successful pilot completed in 2025.

Installation has begun in September 2026 and will be completed by the end of November, with bins located across the CBD, Southbank and parks along the Yarra River.

The rollout of Superfy’s platform will enable the City of Melbourne to phase out fixed-route collections replaced with on-demand pick-ups.

Each Superfy S200 BriteBin, manufactured by PEL and installed and managed by Superfy, has solar-powered compaction and fill-level sensors that trigger a collection only when a bin reaches 85% capacity, replacing fixed-route pick-ups with on-demand collections and directly cutting truck movements through the city.

Any bin that reaches full capacity triggers a priority dispatch, while the sealed, non-touch design prevents spillage, pests and litter.

Lord Mayor Nick Reece said the new solar-powered bins will supercharge Melbourne’s ability to keep the city sparkling.

“Melbourne is putting its bins on the sunshine diet — powered by the sun, compacting more rubbish and telling our crews when they need emptying,” Reece said.

“Keeping our city clean is one of our fundamentals. Last year we removed more than 6000 tonnes of rubbish from Melbourne’s streets — almost 20% more than the year before.

“These bins mean less wasted time, fewer unnecessary collections and more efficient cleaning — using smart technology to keep Melbourne looking its best.”

Safety and accessibility are built into the bins, which are able to hold four times the amount of waste of a regular litter can by compacting it. The bins feature a contactless opening flap and integrated foot pedal, and every unit is wheelchair accessible.

The AI-enabled Superfy platform gives provides insights to make decisions about collection frequency, bin placement and resourcing, and automatically reports recycling diversion rates. The platform also gives visibility across the entire bin estate of more than 3000 locations and will be used by collection partners to manage and schedule collections.

Superfy’s committed targets for the contract include a 10% reduction in carbon emissions, 20% of transport delivered by low-emission vehicles, a 20% year-on-year reduction in waste to landfill, and material recovery rates of 30–50%, all reported annually.

“The City of Melbourne is a smart city leader, and we are delighted to have been chosen to help them with their smart waste and recycling management that will deliver significantly on costs and sustainability, a challenge for our whole industry,” said Darren O’Donohoe, Chief Executive Officer of Superfy.

“Waste collection has traditionally been blind. Trucks run fixed routes on fixed schedules regardless of whether bins are full or empty, which means wasted fuel, unnecessary emissions and, at the other end, overflowing bins on busy weekends. Waste management providers also increasingly need to evidence their diversion rates, not just estimate them.

“Smart waste management solves both problems: you collect when you need to, and you can prove where every kilogram went. With our robust equipment and AI-enabled platform, we are delighted to help the City of Melbourne achieve their targets and create local jobs with our maintenance partners along the way.”

The Melbourne contract will be serviced by Superfy’s local Melbourne team, supported by a Victorian warehouse and parts depot for fast servicing and turnaround, with operations run under ISO 9001, 14001, 45001 and 27001-aligned systems.

Image caption: (from left) Niall Casey, Enterprise Ireland A/NZ; Darren O’Donohoe, CEO, Superfy; Consul-General of Ireland Melbourne Marie-Claire Hughes and City of Melbourne Councillor Gladys Liu at one of the newly installed Superfy S200 Brite bins outside Melbourne Town Hall. Image: Supplied