Recycling units as WiFi hotspots
THE SilverBox units in Toronto, Canada, where the programme started in 2000, will soon be turned into a communication tool as well.
President and chief executive officer of 3 Lions Consulting Inc, Spal Singh, who is the founder of OMG Media in Canada, said his company was in talks with a major Canadian telecommunications company in an effort to provide a wider coverage of Internet services through the units in Toronto.
“We have approached the company which is well-known in Canada and talked about putting WiFi (wireless fidelity) equipment in the SilverBox in a pilot project in the city centre,” he said in a phone interview recently.
He said soon there would be WiFi hotspots at every intersection in downtown Toronto where subscribers to the telecommunications company would be able to access to Internet easily.
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A SilverBox placed at the Taman Jaya Putraline station in Petaling Jaya. The bins are clearly marked to ensure the public drops their recyclables in the proper compartments. |
On the recycling programme in Toronto, Spal Singh said it was different from the one in Kuala Lumpur as the Toronto City Council was collecting the recyclables to generate revenue for itself.
“When we started in Toronto, people thought they were dustbins and companies did not want to put advertisements on the SilverBox units. But later, we managed to convince them.
“We have given them (Toronto City Council) 4,500 units and there are several units at every intersection. When the city council picked up the recyclables, they did not make money initially.
“It took them four to five years to break even and they’re starting to make money now,” he said, adding that 10% of OMG Media’s revenue from the sale of advertising space on the units was channelled to the city council.
He said the parties involved in the programme would be glad to exchange knowledge on how to expand the programme to other countries.
“The SilverBox has grown into an environmental product and this has dispelled the misconception that you cannot make money out of an environment-friendly project. This is a good example,” he said.
In Malaysia, OMG Media (M) Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Devsonia Singh Dhaliwal said the company was also in talks with a telecommunications provider to implement a similar project in the city.
“So far, the concept has been accepted by the telcos because they want to promote WiFi services to more city folks,” he said.
Related story:
Reaping the rewards of recycling
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