Madrid has the largest smart waste installation worldwide

11,100

Number of sensors

General and glass

Type of waste

3.4 million

Population

Dynamic collection

Goal

Largest global smart waste sensor seployment

Project and customer description

Madrid has deployed 11,100 Sensoneo smart sensors – Europe’s largest smart waste installation – across bins for packaging, glass, textiles, organic, and general waste.

As Spain’s capital, Madrid is running an ambitious project to boost efficiency and sustainability in urban services. Since early 2023, the city has partnered with Sensoneo and local integrator Candam to install ultrasonic fill-level sensors in waste containers citywide.

This initiative, part of a new collection contract with Valoriza, Acciona, and OHL Ingesan, positions Madrid as a benchmark smart city. By equipping bins with real-time sensors, the city achieves the largest smart waste installation in Europe, underlining its commitment to cleaner streets and high-tech services.

The deployment was completed within the first four months of 2023, marking a major milestone in Madrid’s smart city strategy.

Challenge

Before this project, waste collection relied on fixed schedules without insight into bin fill levels. Bins were often emptied too early or too late, leading to wasted resources, overflowing containers, citizen complaints, and unnecessary emissions. Madrid sought a smarter solution to eliminate idle pickups and prevent overflow, improving service quality and sustainability.

Solution

Sensoneo’s solution combines intelligent ultrasonic sensors inside waste containers with a cloud-based platform for monitoring and dynamic route planning.

Ultrasonic sensors inside bins measure fill levels in real time and send the data to a centralized cloud platform. Waste managers access a live map with bin status, waste type, GPS location, and collection history, supported by alerts and forecasts of when containers need servicing. The system automatically generates optimized routes, ensuring trucks collect only the bins that actually require attention, on time and before overflow.

Navigation is specifically adapted for waste vehicles, taking into account narrow streets, pedestrian zones, and one-way routes that standard GPS often misses. Drivers follow turn-by-turn instructions, and supervisors can easily adjust routes for special events or urgent pickups. This combination of real-time monitoring and intelligent routing enables Madrid to move from rigid, schedule-based collection to a fully data-driven, demand-driven operation with far greater flexibility and efficiency.

Impact

Madrid’s smart waste deployment delivers clear and immediate benefits. With real-time monitoring, crews collect bins only when needed, preventing overflows and reducing unnecessary pickups. Containers are emptied closer to capacity, keeping streets cleaner and reducing litter, while residents enjoy tidier neighborhoods with fewer complaints and a stronger sense of urban quality.

Operationally, the city saves on driver hours, fuel, and vehicle wear by eliminating redundant trips. Collection routes are shorter, faster, and more efficient, which eases traffic congestion and noise in residential areas. From the start, Madrid has seen measurable savings in time, fuel, and costs, while analytics continuously optimize bin placement and collection frequency to match real demand.

Environmentally, fewer truck journeys mean a direct reduction in CO₂ emissions, supporting Madrid’s climate and sustainability goals. The project not only delivers cleaner streets and more efficient services but also demonstrates how smart city technology can achieve long-term economic, environmental, and social impact at scale.