Design and Development of A Smart Trash
Design and Development of A Smart Trash
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Article Info:
Received: 10 Aug 2023; Revised: 02 Dec 2023; Accepted: 20 Dec 2023; Available Online: 31 Dec 2023
Abstract – Most human activities generate solid waste, which is an unavoidable byproduct. Solid waste
management is critical to reducing waste and improving recycling. Uncollected trash and poor waste disposal have
severe health and environmental repercussions. Furthermore, most public trash bins overflow due to inefficient
waste management practices. As a result, for an immediate and optimized waste collection operation, a waste
classification management and remote monitoring system are required to properly segregate trash and notify
relevant authorities about the trash levels of the bins. This paper presents the design and development of a smart
trash bin that uses an Arduino microcontroller to segregate recyclable materials, monitor trash levels in bins, and
send an SMS alarm to authorities through GSM communication. A 12V battery powers the system, supplemented
by a solar panel. The smart trash bin's design is appropriate for proper waste disposal of recyclable materials. It
will assist authorities in planning an efficient waste collection strategy. The designed trash bin costs 180 USD,
which is comparable and affordable to existing smart trash bins.
Keywords – GSM Communication, Recyclable Waste Segregation, Sensor-based System, Trash Level
Monitoring, Waste Management System
in 2016, with daily garbage per capita ranging between
INTRODUCTION
300 and 700 grams in rural and urban areas (Lagman-
According to the World Bank Urban Bautista & Eleria, 2020). According to the National Solid
Development department report, the expected volume of Waste Management Status Report of DENR, recyclable
municipal solid waste (MSW) will increase from 1.3 waste accounts for nearly a third (27.87%) of Municipal
billion tons annually to 2.2 billion tons annually by 2025 Solid Waste. Recyclable garbage includes plastics (10.56
(Hoornweg & Bhada-Tate, 2012). Most of the growth %), paper and cardboard (8.61 %), glass (2.43 %), metal
will occur in rapidly growing cities in developing (4.22 %), textiles (1.61 %), rubber and leather (0.44 %)
nations. Over the next 30 years, rapid urbanization, (DENR, 2018). If trash is not effectively managed,
population growth, and economic development will environmental issues will worsen over time and become
drive a 70% increase in world trash generation. the most significant obstacle to sustainable development.
Uncollected trash and improper waste disposal have Municipal solid waste contains numerous recyclable
severe health and environmental consequences. components; recycling reduces waste emissions, adds
Frequently, the expense of mitigating these effects value, and cuts costs. Waste classification management
exceeds establishing and operating simple, adequate will therefore be the most effective method (Zhang et al.,
waste management systems (Ella et al., 2022). 2021).
Like any other developing economy, solid waste The term waste management is essential in
management remains a significant obstacle (Moriguchi everyone's life. Pollution and the accumulation of
& Hashimoto, 2015). The Philippines' waste generation enormous volumes of garbage in the lack of an
has increased from 37∙10³ kg∙aˉ¹ in 2012 to 40·10³ kg∙aˉ¹
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appropriate waste management system have become one Frequency Identification (RFID) tags has entirely
of humanity's most serious problems (Goutam changed how waste is managed (Brancoli et al., 2020;
Mukherjee et al., 2021). Trash bins in public places are Zeb et al., 2019). These bins are called "smart" because
not optimized and poorly maintained, which is they have IoT devices built-in and other new
unappealing, especially if garbages overflow. Most technologies like RFID readers, ultrasonic sensors,
people are reluctant to throw their garbage in trash bins weight sensors, solar cells, and light-emitting diodes as
because the conventional design of such bins necessitates indicators (Al-Jabi & Diab, 2017). These sensors help
the user to open the bin's lid to throw their garbage. These detect the total garbage volume and are designed to be
lids are prone to spread germs and bacteria, which can attached to trash bins and capable of detecting waste.
cause a variety of diseases because it dirty and not
properly maintained. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Moreover, these trash bins cannot be emptied for The objective of this study is to develop a smart
an extended time, and some people do not segregate their trash bin for recyclable wastes. The smart trash bin is a
trash. As a result, improper waste management and sensor-based system wherein capacitive, and inductive
segregation contribute to the spreading diseases and proximity sensors will be used to detect and sort trash.
unpleasant odors to the surrounding area. People may The study will only be limited to sorting non-metal and
quickly become ill as a result of this odor. In addition, recyclable metal trash such as tin cans and plastic bottles.
many believe it is more practical to neglect waste Other classifications of trash, such as paper, wood,
segregation and dispose of their garbage on roadsides or plastics, and others, can be detected by the smart trash
rivers (Chandra & Tawami, 2020). bin but will not be sorted appropriately and will not be
To address this problem, researchers develop included in this study. Furthermore, the lid of the trash
ways to dispose of and manage waste properly. Smart bins can automatically close and open if the user wants
Trash Bins are among the smart waste management to throw their trash. This feature will ensure that users
solutions that are being developed. This technique helps will not be touching the trash bins' filthy lids, which can
reduce operational expenses and resolve environmental spread germs and viruses. In addition, an autonomous
problems. This technology will contribute to the trash level detection via an ultrasonic sensor will be
effectiveness and efficiency of waste management and integrated to address the overflowing trash over an
recycling operations and reduce human labor. extended period. A GSM module is also integrated to
The studies presented by (Chandramohan et al., achieve wireless monitoring and control of the system.
2017; Rafeeq et al., 2016; Sharanya et al., 2017) The development of this smart trash bin will improve
demonstrated automated waste sorting technologies. accessibility and allow authorities to conduct proper
Their waste segregation system for recyclable materials waste disposal planning.
such as metal, plastic, and glass is simple to implement.
Their technology can detect metallic objects using
inductive and capacitive sensors to differentiate between MATERIALS AND METHODS
metallic trash and non-metallic garbage. System Architecture
A dynamic waste collecting system must be
implemented to address urban waste management's high
costs and inefficiency. It is necessary to monitor the trash
bins' levels to establish a dynamic waste collection
method. The design of the smart trash bins featured in
studies of (Ashwin et al., 2021; Haribabu et al., 2018;
Kolhatkar et al., 2018; Kristanto et al., 2016; Utomo et
al., 2018; Widiastiwi & Satria, 2020) often uses
ultrasonic sensors to determine trash levels and integrate
wireless communication technologies to inform
authorities of trash level status to optimize waste
collection.
The idea for smart trash bins uses the Internet of
Figure 1. System Architecture of the Proposed System
Things (IoT) and wireless sensor network technologies.
Using Internet of Things (IoT) devices and Radio
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GSM Communication
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The Saleng GSM Module by Layad Circuit that battery to the microcontroller-required 5V DC. Second,
uses SIM800L was used to integrate GSM connectivity the capacitive, inductive, and ultrasonic sensors of the
into the system. The Saleng GSM Module makes GSM Sensor Module are connected to the input pins of the
communication integration considerably easier because Arduino microcontroller. The capacitive and inductive
it contains a built-in circuit to provide the 3.6-4.2V 2A sensors are connected to an optocoupler circuit so that a
power required by the SIM800L to function correctly. 12V sensor can be safely wired to a 5V microcontroller.
Third, the Arduino microcontroller processes the input
Solar Power data from the sensor module and sends the appropriate
Solar energy is collected using a photovoltaic signals to the various actuator devices based on the
panel. A solar battery pack is fixed within the smart trash uploaded C code of the programmer. The Arduino IDE
bin to store renewable solar energy generated by Desktop was utilized to write and upload C code from the
photovoltaic cells. The solar battery is used to power all computer to the Arduino board via a USB cable. Fourth,
the devices of the smart trash bin system. Fig. 3 shows the Actuator Module contains servo motors, a buzzer,
the parts and connections of the solar power setup. A and an indicator light. Each actuator is activated if certain
10W Solar Panel is connected to the Solar Charge system conditions are met. Lastly, the GSM Module can
Controller to regulate the voltage supplied to charge the communicate in both directions with the Arduino board.
12V 15Ah AGM Gel Battery. The battery is connected The microcontroller will instruct the GSM module to
to a DC breaker before the DC-DC step-down converter, communicate data from the system to the user and vice
which supplies multiple DC voltages to the system. The versa if certain conditions are met. The user can control
first step-down converter has a fixed 5V DC output that the system by sending an SMS to the GSM module.
powers the Arduino board and the 5V I/O devices. The
second step-down converter has a variable DC output
adjusted to 6V to power the two servo motors. In
addition, the third step-down converter has a variable DC
output that was adjusted to 5V to power the Saleng GSM
module. Although the DC supply of the GSM module
and the Arduino is similar, their supply was separated
because there is a current spike every time the GSM
module sends an SMS, which may affect the
functionality of other system devices.
Software Algorithm
Fig. 5 depicts the algorithm for Recyclable
Waste Segregation. It begins by initializing the
microcontroller and reads each trash bin's capacitive
sensor. The inductive sensor will be read if the capacitive
sensor recognizes a trash object. Suppose the inductive
sensor for the Non-metal bin does not detect the trash
Figure 3. Parts and connection of the Solar Power object. In that case, it is categorized as a non-metal
Setup object. The servo motor will rotate to open the Non-metal
Bin, which will close after a 2-second delay. However, if
Hardware Block Diagram the inductive sensor detects the trash object, it is
Fig. 4 depicts the Smart Trash Bin's Hardware classified as a metal object. Therefore, the Non-metal
Block Diagram, which consists of the Power Supply, trash bin will not open, and the buzzer will ring for two
Sensor Module, Arduino Microcontroller, Actuator seconds.
Module, and GSM Module. First, the Power Supply
delivers DC power to the system's various modules. A
DC-DC converter circuit converts the 12V DC from the
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Developed Smart Trash Bin Figure 10. Schematic Diagram of the Smart Trash
Bin
costing around USD 160 and USD 560. It should be CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
noted that while the designed system of (Samann, 2017) This paper presented the design and
was less expensive, the reported total cost did not include development of a solar-powered, GSM-connected
the cost of the bin. Furthermore, the developed system for recyclable waste management. Three
system has two trash bins, which have a larger capacity subsystems of the Smart Trash Bin were successfully
than the single bins developed in (Al Mamun et al., 2015; created. First, the Recyclable Waste Segregation
Samann, 2017). subsystem can separate the trash into metal and non-
metal waste based on materials' inductive and capacitive
Table 4. Overall cost of the System properties. In addition, a mechanism for automatically
Item Qty Unit Total opening and closing the trash bin covers was developed
Cost Cost to dispose of trash in the correct bins. Second, Trash
Inductive Proximity 2 $ 4.5 $ 9.00 Level Detection employing ultrasonic sensors proved a
Sensor
reliable and cost-effective method for monitoring the
Capacitive Proximity 2 $ 6.00 $ 12.00
Sensor bin's trash level. Lastly, the GSM communication
Ultrasonic Sensor 2 $ 1.00 $ 2.00 demonstrated that the system could be remotely
DC-DC Stepdown 2 $ 1.00 $ 2.00 monitored and automatically notify the user if the
Converter (Variable) trash bins are full. The development cost of the system
DC-DC Stepdown 1 $ 2.00 $ 2.00 has been compared to that of existing trash bins, and it
Converter (Fixed) has been determined that the cost of the developed
4-way Optocoupler 1 $ 1.00 $ 1.00 system is very favorable because it is affordable and has
Module a greater capacity.
Saleng GSM Module 1 $ 7.00 $ 7.00 In future studies, computer vision and deep
Arduino Uno 1 $ 12.00 $ 12.00 learning research may be considered for detecting and
Servo Motor 2 $ 9.00 $ 18.00 classifying various types of trash.
2-channel Relay 1 $ 1.50 $ 1.50
Module
Buzzer 1 $ 1.00 $ 1.00 REFERENCES
Indicator Light 1 $ 1.00 $ 1.00 Al-Jabi, M., & Diab, M. (2017). IoT-enabled citizen
Solar Panel 1 $ 9.00 $ 9.00 attractive waste management system. 2017 2nd
Charge Controller 1 $ 4.50 $ 4.50 International Conference on the Applications of
12V Battery 1 $ 18.00 $ 18.00 Information Technology in Developing
Trash Bins and Frame 1 $ 70.00 $ 70.00 Renewable Energy Processes & Systems (IT-
Wires and connectors 1 $ 10.00 $ 10.00 DREPS), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1109/IT-
Total $ 180.00 DREPS.2017.8277804
Al Mamun, M. A., Hannan, M. A., Hussain, A., & Basri,
H. (2015). Integrated sensing systems and
algorithms for solid waste bin state management
automation. IEEE Sensors Journal, 15(1), 561–
567.
https://doi.org/10.1109/JSEN.2014.2351452
Ashwin, M., Alqahtani, A. S., & Mubarakali, A. (2021).
Iot based intelligent route selection of wastage
segregation for smart cities using solar energy.
Sustainable Energy Technologies and
Assessments, 46, 101281.
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.202
1.101281
Figure 12. Cost comparison between the developed Brancoli, P., Bolton, K., & Eriksson, M. (2020).
smart trash bin and existing smart trash bin Environmental impacts of waste management
and valorisation pathways for surplus bread in
Sweden. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.),
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