Arduino-Based Waste Detector with Alarm System

Abstract

This study was deliberately designed to inform and enlighten people about the advantages of proper waste segregation and disposal. The Arduino-based Waste Detector with Alarm System automatically segregates different wastes such as plastic bottles, metals and other waste that is thrown in it with the use of image processing. This fixes problems caused by improper waste disposal due to people being uneducated on how to properly discard trash.

The problem of waste disposal has been ingrained in most people's lives, and discarding trash on roadsides and outside their homes has become routine, despite the fact that it causes enormous environmental damage. According to the World Bank, in 2020, the world was estimated to generate 2.24 billion tons of solid waste, amounting to a footprint of 0.79 kilograms per person per day due to rapid economic growth. And the most significant contributor to this issue is people's poor waste management habits, which is why everyone should take responsibility for their waste management.

The researchers were able to use image processing to recognize different sorts of garbage, including plastic bottles, metal waste and other waste. The camera sensor detects garbage based on its various properties and identifies if it matches the model created by the researchers. The results showed that the prototype was acceptable in terms of the functionalities indicated in the objectives. Having an efficiency rate of 100%, 85% and 100% in the time of waste detection, proper waste segregation and determining if one of the bins is full, respectively.