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Tag: whitespace work software

Midlothian Chooses Whitespace for Waste Management Solution

Posted on 12 November 2024 - 10:11 by

Bramble Hub, and our partner Whitespace Work Software, have been awarded a contract to provide Whitespace’s digital waste management solution to Midlothian Council. The provided solution includes both cloud-based and in-cab products.

Midlothian Council covers an area south of Edinburgh with a population of almost 100,000.

Whitespace provides a comprehensive suite of waste management software; for more information see our profile on Whitespace.

The contract was awarded under the Vertical Application Solutions framework from Crown Commercial Service.

Greenwich Using Routing Solution from Whitespace

Posted on 21 August 2024 - 15:44 by

The Royal Borough of Greenwich has awarded Bramble Hub, and our partner Whitespace Work Software, a contract to provide route optimisation software.

Whitespace Work Software provides advanced routing software to local authorities to help them minimise the miles driven by their waste collection teams. In turn, this helps councils reduce carbon emissions.

The Royal Borough of Greenwich is a London Borough with a population of almost 300,000 people.

The contract was awarded via the Vertical Application Solutions framework from Crown Commercial Service.

Whitespace Work Software Helps South Derbyshire Run Innovative Carbon Reduction Project

Posted on 24 April 2023 - 10:48 by

Whitespace Work Software is a Bramble Hub partner specialising in providing waste management software. Together, we have seen some success with local authorities, with solutions being delivered into Eastbourne Borough and Aberdeenshire Councils. Whitespace brings advanced technology to the difficult business of waste management, enabling real-time contact with crews, route optimization, online customer service, and more.

One of the reasons that councils invest in such technology is to reduce CO2 emissions: local authorities are committed to tough carbon reduction targets. And while many local authority operations can be decarbonised relatively easily, this is certainly not true of waste collection, which (necessarily) requires the use of a fleet of large and heavy vehicles.

In our latest joint project, Bramble Hub and Whitespace are participating in a fascinating carbon-reduction trial with South Derbyshire District Council, aimed at exploring ways to reduce the CO2 emissions from rubbish collection lorries via the use of hydrogen to partially replace diesel fuel.

The technology being  piloted by South Derbyshire allows trucks to burn a mix of hydrogen with diesel. Hydrogen, of course, produces only water when burned; this means that – in theory at least – burning a fuel mix that is 30% hydrogen and 70% diesel should result in something like a 30% reduction in carbon emissions.

Because much of the hydrogen technology is still in its development phase there are so many operational variables to be considered. The Council is going to test two refuse collection vehicles upgraded with the new hydrogen technology and compare performance with two traditional diesel lorries. To run the trial requires the collection of real-time data from the refuse collection vehicles being monitored, and this is where Whitespace comes in: their software will be installed in the four test trucks, allowing the Council to compare the overall performance of the hydrogen duel-fuel technology vs diesel.

The project, which is being joint funded by South Derbyshire District Council and D2N2 Low Carbon Growth Fund, is being led by  the Climate and Environment Officer at South Derbyshire, who explains that simply replacing the Council’s fleet of 22 refuse collection vehicles with zero carbon emission vehicles  is currently  not viable:

“Many Councils may be able to start upgrading their smaller vehicles with zero or low carbon, , but the cost for zero or low carbon heavier vehicles, such as those used in the refuse collection rounds are prohibitively costly.  It is expected that the cost of new low carbon emitting trucks and heavier vehicles  will come down over time, but for now, South Derbyshire  want to  understand  how commercially viable a hydrogen duel-fuel solution would be and operationally how hydrogen can be stored and used effectively at the Council’s Depot.”

Whitespace’s software allows every aspect of the experiment to be monitored, says the Climate and Environment Officer: “It’s not just about comparing the power and emissions output. We will be  monitoring operational  behaviour, refuelling time, as well as the  cost-benefit analysis of upgrading the test vehicles. The software ensures that operators  do their daily checks – vehicle safety,  damage, weather conditions,  collection start and end times, and daily issues, to help the  analysis.

The project involves a number of partners: “Whitespace (via Bramble Hub) are delivering the IT, ULEMCo are providing the hydrogen dual fuel conversion kits, and Octopus Hydrogen are supplying the hydrogen, a mobile pressurized container and the refuelling system.”

The project is being part-funded by D2N2, the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire as part of their Low Carbon Growth Fund. The trial, if successful, could bring significant environmental benefits far beyond South Derbyshire. Will Morlidge, Chief Executive of D2N2 LEP said “Hydrogen dual fuel conversion could be a significant next step in reducing the tail pipe emissions of heavier vehicles. D2N2 is co-funding this project so we can share the learning and data with local stakeholders and other interested parties as a potential low carbon solution for organisations running heavy vehicle fleets”.

Whitespace to Provide Comprehensive Waste Management Solution for Aberdeenshire

Posted on 24 February 2023 - 10:08 by

Bramble Hub, in partnership with Whitespace Work Software, has been awarded a contract to provide Whitespace’s software and services to Aberdeenshire Council, in order to digitise and automate the Council’s waste collection services. The Council’s tender documents state that the system “… will allow the frontline crews to receive and send collection information during the day and therefore provide real-time information to the back-office and customers”.

The online system will be provided as SaaS (software-as-a-service) by Whitespace, who will host and support the software on the Council’s behalf. It will be integrated with the Council’s website and resident mobile app as well as the Council’s CRM system. Additionally, Whitespace will provide in-cab systems, allowing crews to access the software, and the Council to manage collections in real-time.

In order to deliver these services, the Council has purchased the following Whitespace modules:

Mike Nicholls, Whitespace’s Commercial Director, says “We will be helping the Council to streamline its services across the board. As well as municipal waste collections, we will be dealing with the full range of commercial waste services, including contract management and legal documentation.”

The route optimisation module will be used to reduce the mileage driven (and so also cut carbon emissions), as well as be used to help the Council transition to three-weekly collections.

Aberdeenshire Council covers a mostly rural area with a population of around 243,000 people.  The Waste Service collects recycling and waste from 120,000 homes and 4, 000 businesses, along with functions to support this and street cleansing duties. There are 6 collection depots with up to 80 collection vehicles and vans.

The project was funded by Zero Waste Scotland, and the tender was issued under the Data and Application Solutions Framework from Crown Commercial Service. The agreement will run for an initial three years, with scope for extension by an additional one or two years.

Andrew Sheridan of Aberdeenshire Council, says of the partnership: “We are looking forward to working with Whitespace to help us increase productivity by removing the current paper-based processes, improve the safety of employees and the public and provide better communication and information flow to residents and businesses.”