There is roughly 4.5 billion metric tons of garbage per year, and it doesn’t seem to be decreasing any time soon. The current trash collection system requires a lot of workforce with little tracking of how much garbage is being collected and how much is left behind. As the world continues to evolve in every area, it is about time that the trash collection method evolves as well.
Students from the IEEE Student Branch of Vellore Institute of Technology Chennai have come up with a manageable system for the current trash collection method. They will first create a smartphone app, which will wirelessly connect to a sensor placed in the trashcan. The app will display a colored trash can depending on what the sensor says, such as red when it’s full or green when it’s empty. This information will prevent any trash from being left behind during a pick-up because the municipality will also have this information every day. This will save time checking every bin, omit any careless mistakes of leaving bins behind and also save fuel because they will know which houses to go to. They also want to attach a machine that lifts the garbage can up and directly pours the trash into the van, without all the extra work.
Their next step is to make a smart segregator which will dispose of the waste into one of four different bins depending on the material such as organic, plastic, metal, and glass. This will employ machine learning algorithms to efficiently sort the waste after it is dumped into a trash bin, so the person doesn’t have to think twice. The following steps of the project pertain to how the trash is disposed of, which includes vegetable waste being turned into fertilizers or polyester for designing new clothing items.
This project is focused on creating a more innovative and effective solution to help protect the earth from drastic climate change as well as pollution. They plan to start off implementing it within nearby villages of their university, with the wide-scale goal of extending it to other states and countries. With a grant of $620.94 from EPICS in IEEE, they are able to start purchasing the necessary materials to begin the design and building of this innovative trash collection system.
To learn more about this project, check out the below article about the team and project!
EPICS in IEEE Project Teamwork Leads to Hands-on Learning and Community Impact