Bin Day Light
A preconfigured smart bulb that shows the colours of the bins due for collection — on your collection days, at your alert times.
Questions? info@calibrate.nz — Christchurch NZ
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Problem
The annoying problem
Collection days and bin colours differ from street to street, and it is easy to lose track of which bin goes out on which day. A reminder in an app or on a fridge note is easy to ignore — a light in the room is much harder to miss.
Solution
Bin Day Light
A preconfigured smart bulb that shows the colours of the bins due for collection — on your collection days, at your alert times.
Shelly is the platform — this lighting solution is the product.
Outcome — Benefits
What changes in your home. Customer language, not spec sheet.
- Know which bins are due without checking an app or a calendar
- The reminder is visible in the room — hard to miss on the way out
- Alternating colours make two-bin weeks obvious at a glance
- Configured to your colours, collection days and alert times before it ships
- Runs standalone; Home Assistant can be added later if you want it
- Optional motion sensor adds normal motion-activated lighting alongside the bin-day alert
Spec — Features
How it works under the hood.
- Bin colours, collection days, dates and alert start times configured before supply
- Alternates the configured bin colours in 2-second intervals while alerting
- Alert starts at your configured time and continues into collection morning
- Colours can differ from week to week — e.g. recycling one week, rubbish the next
- Runs standalone on the bulb — Home Assistant integration supported, not required
- Shelly web-interface switch pauses the bin-colour alert; reactivates per the configured pause period/schedule
- Optional Shelly BLU Motion ZB sensor — normal motion-activated lighting alongside bin-day alerts
- E27 screw fitting — a screw-to-bayonet adaptor is supplied when your fitting requires one
Pricing
Price & buying
From $60 ex GST
Bulb only $60 ex GST; with the optional Shelly BLU Motion ZB sensor $160 ex GST. Built to order — we confirm your configuration and final price at enquiry.
- 6-month warranty
- Returns accepted if it isn't compatible with your existing install
- Prices are ex GST. Shipping is added separately.
How it works
How it works — stepped
We configure the bulb with your bin collection days, bin colours, dates and alert start times before it is supplied. On an alert day it shows the colours due — for example, for a Tuesday collection with red for rubbish and green for organic waste, the light starts alerting on Monday at 4pm and alternates red for 2 seconds, then green for 2 seconds, continuously. The reminder is still useful on Tuesday morning if the bins have not been put out yet. The colours can change from week to week: the following week might be yellow for recycling and green for organic waste. It runs standalone — Home Assistant integration is supported if you want it, but it is not required. A switch in the Shelly web interface pauses the bin-colour alert, which reactivates according to the configured pause period or schedule.
Technology: local Shelly script — standalone; Home Assistant / Hub optional
- 1
Step 1
You provide your collection days, bin colours, dates and alert start times
- 2
Step 2
We configure the bulb to your specification before supply
- 3
Step 3
At the alert start time it alternates each colour for 2 seconds, continuously — red, green, red, green
- 4
Step 4
The reminder continues into collection morning; the web-interface switch pauses it when you want
Hardware
Hardware included
Everything that ships in the system — no hunting for parts.
-
×1
Shelly Multicolor Bulb E27 Gen3 (Multicolor Bulb E27 Gen3)
Colour smart bulb — configured to show your bin-day colours
-
×1
Shelly BLU Motion ZB (optional)
Optional add-on — enables normal motion-activated lighting alongside bin-day alerts
-
×1
Screw-to-bayonet adaptor (when required)
Supplied only when the customer's light fitting requires a bayonet adaptor
Preconfigured
What's preconfigured
We do the boring config so you don't have to. You install. Test happens before shipping.
- ✓ Bin colours configured to the customer's specification
- ✓ Collection days, dates and alert start times set before supply
- ✓ Colour alternation and alert start verified in our shed
- ✓ Pause behaviour verified from the Shelly web interface
- ✓ Built and tested in our shed before supply — see Testing notes
In the box
What's in the box
- Shelly Multicolor Bulb E27 Gen3 ×1 (preconfigured to your bin colours, days and times)
- Shelly BLU Motion ZB ×1 (only with the motion-sensor option)
- Screw-to-bayonet adaptor (supplied when your fitting requires one)
- Setup notes for the Shelly web interface and pause switch
Installation
Installation
Clear separation: what you do vs what your electrician does.
You — DIY
Placement, Wi-Fi and app-free defaults.
- Powered light socket with an accessible switch
- No electrician required — screw the bulb in and switch it on
- E27 screw fitting; a screw-to-bayonet adaptor is supplied for bayonet fittings
Why this solution
Why this solution vs buying devices
Same Shelly parts — but you skip the pairing, scripting and tuning.
| Feature | Buying devices | With this solution |
|---|---|---|
| Bin-colour configuration | You work out the colours, days and times | Configured to your specification before supply |
| Alert logic | You set up the bulb script and schedule | Built to order with your schedule and 2-second colour alternation |
| Pause control | You work out how to silence it | Web-interface switch — configured pause period/schedule |
| Fitting | You source an adaptor for bayonet fittings | Screw-to-bayonet adaptor supplied when needed |
| Support | Community forums | Christchurch-based — info@calibrate.nz |
Technical
Technical details
- compatibility
- Powered E27 screw fitting. A screw-to-bayonet adaptor is supplied when the fitting requires one. No electrician required.
- warranty
- 6-month warranty
Journey
What happens when you buy
You enquire
Send your bin colours, collection days, dates and alert start times — we confirm your configuration and price.
We build & test
We configure the bulb to your specification and test it in our shed before it ships.
You screw it in
No electrician needed — fit the bulb, or the supplied bayonet adaptor, and switch it on. Support via info@calibrate.nz.
Trust
Built properly — no fabrication
Built to order
Configured to your bin colours, collection days and alert times before supply. Local support at info@calibrate.nz.
Tested in daily use
Built and tested in our shed during daily use. We have not tested it in a customer's home.
No electrician needed
Powered E27 screw fitting — screw the bulb in and switch on. A screw-to-bayonet adaptor is supplied when needed.
6-month warranty. Prices are ex GST; shipping is added separately. Returns accepted if it isn't compatible with your existing install.
Notes & lineage
Why this exists
Bin night is easy to forget, and a reminder buried in an app is easy to ignore. This solution puts the reminder where you already look on the way out: a light that shows the colours of the bins due for collection, alternating them so a two-bin week is obvious.
What’s in the box
- Shelly Multicolor Bulb E27 Gen3, preconfigured with your bin colours, collection days, dates and alert start times
- Shelly BLU Motion ZB (only with the motion-sensor option)
- Screw-to-bayonet adaptor (supplied when your fitting requires one)
- Setup notes for the Shelly web interface and pause switch
Configuration
Bin colours, collection days, dates and alert start times are set to your specification before the bulb is supplied. For example: a Tuesday collection with red for rubbish and green for organic waste — the light starts alerting on Monday at 4pm, alternating red for 2 seconds and green for 2 seconds, continuously. On Tuesday morning the reminder is still useful if the bins have not been put out yet. The following week might be yellow for recycling and green for organic waste; tell us the pattern and we configure it.
The switch in the Shelly web interface pauses the bin-colour alert; it reactivates according to the configured pause period or schedule. If your collection pattern or preferred alert time changes, contact us and we will confirm the right settings for your configuration.
Installation
No electrician is required. Screw the bulb into a powered light socket and switch it on. E27 screw fittings take the bulb directly; for a bayonet fitting, fit the supplied screw-to-bayonet adaptor first. The optional BLU Motion ZB sensor adds normal motion-activated lighting alongside the bin-day alert.
Testing
Built and tested in our shed during daily use, where the light is seen during daily exits. That is a real-world test, not a customer installation — we have not tested it in a customer’s home, and we make no reliability claims beyond what we have observed.
FAQ
Common questions
How much does Bin Day Light cost?
$60 ex GST for the bulb on its own, or $160 ex GST with the optional Shelly BLU Motion ZB sensor. Both are built to order using your specifications.
How does the light know which bins are due?
We configure the bulb with your bin colours, collection days, dates and alert start times before it ships. For a Tuesday collection with red for rubbish and green for organic waste, it starts alerting on Monday at 4pm.
What does the alert look like?
Each configured colour shows for 2 seconds, then the next colour for 2 seconds, alternating continuously while the alert is active.
Does it remind me on collection morning?
Yes. The reminder continues into Tuesday morning, so it is still useful if the bins have not been put out yet.
What if my bin colours change from week to week?
Tell us the pattern at enquiry. One week might be red for rubbish and green for organic waste; the following week might be yellow for recycling and green for organic waste. We configure that into the bulb.
Can I pause the bin-colour alert?
Yes. A switch in the Shelly web interface pauses the bin-colour alert, and it reactivates according to the configured pause period or schedule.
Do I need a hub or Home Assistant?
No. It runs standalone on the bulb. Home Assistant integration is supported if you want it, but it is not required.
Will it fit my light fitting?
It is a powered E27 screw-fitting bulb. If your fitting is bayonet, a screw-to-bayonet adaptor is supplied with it.
Do I need an electrician?
No. Screw the bulb into a powered light socket and switch it on. No electrical work is involved.
What warranty do I get?
Every Calibrate solution comes with a 6-month warranty.
Has it been tested?
It is built and tested, features are still been added but its a working solution.
Ready to order Bin Day Light?
We build to order and test each system before shipping. Christchurch, NZ.
Works standalone • Expands to Home Assistant
Enquire about Bin Day Light
Tell us what you've got and what you need. We'll confirm compatibility and a final price.
Send your enquiry below — we'll reply by email. Prefer your own email app? Email info@calibrate.nz directly instead.
Bin Day Light
A preconfigured smart bulb that shows the colours of the bins due for collection — on your collection days, at your alert times.