Project #1 Project Proposal

Project Proposal: Smart Dustbin

Smart Dustbin - a dustbin with AI features that can smartly sort your trash

Problem

Based on our observation, the waste management system can be upgraded to improve the efficiency. therefore, we have recognized the problem that we want to solve with our proposed solution.

1. Unsorted Garbage

Most of us think that to sort all the trash type is the waste operator's job. It supposed to be us who should sort the trash as to prevent it become mixed trash. Mixed trash that is released into the environment could endanger our environment by releasing dangerous substances into the earth, dangerous gases into the air that could hasten the ozone layer's ozone layer depletion, and many other unwanted bad effects. Trash must be sorted to prevent waste from ends up in the landfill and also to have a clean environment. Thus, dealing with trash is costly and many communities spend more money on trash processing other than things like fire protection, parks and libraries.

2. Less Practice of Recycle

Normally in Malaysia, less people practice recycle in their life. One thing that we recognize is our people too busy to do it every time they are home. It is not because of they are lazy but the process of recycling need a lot of time to classified all the waste they have. Therefore they always left all the garbage mixed.

3. Landfill

People like to throw trash without thinking and even worse just throw the trash everywhere. Landfill which is dump site or a site for waste material disposal. It is a common way to dispose trash where the waste is buried between layers of earth to build up low-lying land. However, emission of methane gas from landfills is the primary environmental issue. Methane gas is released during the breakdown of organic material in landfills. Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases and a major cause of climate change since it is 84 times more efficient than carbon dioxide at absorbing heat from the sun. For example, due to Covid-19 recently which the use of disposable masks increase so the number of trash on landfill also increase. We need to avoid this problem from happening as our world is in critical condition due to climate change.

Proposed Solution

1. Sort garbage for example paper, glass and others using sensor

2. Using ARDUINO to open the lid of the dustbin automatically

3. Smart screen to indicate user of spaces in the dustbin

Smart Dustbin will help sort out garbage automatically using its AI features so it will help users to sort their trash efficiently and easily. It will be equipped with an image sensor that can recognise the material of the trash if it is either glass, paper or aluminium and metal. Hence, the dustbin will have 3 compartments for those materials. After the AI recognises the material, it will automatically sort the trash into the suitable compartment. Moreover, because of its sorting capabilities, Smart Dustbin will assist users in recycling their waste. Recycling their waste will lessen the need for landfill space and mitigate any negative effects. Lastly, Smart Dustbin will encourage users to throw their trash properly because it has an ARDUINO system which will open the lid of the dustbin automatically and it also has a smart screen feature to indicate user of spaces in the dustbin. Furthermore, when the dustbin is full, Smart Dustbin features a mechanism that will alert the appropriate authorities. As a result, it will motivate people to properly dispose of their rubbish in the trash can and not elsewhere.

Target User

1. Student

Students nowadays do not know how to organize their trash, whether they need to throw their plastic bottle in the blue bin or the brown bin which ultimately leads to unorganized dustbin or worst case, littering. Some of them do not know the term 3R and how to apply it in their daily life. By using our product, we can teach them how to sort their trash in the right place and also help keep our environment clean. With smart dustbin, students would feel more eager to apply 3R in their daily life.

2. Household user

Next, house owners can also use our product to help them sort their trash while also helping them apply 3R. Some house owners would feel overwhelmed by how difficult it is to keep track of their trash and to sort them systematically. With the smart dustbin, they do not have to waste time sorting them manually because the dustbin will sort the trash by itself. This would boost their motivation to continuously apply 3R and save the environment.

 

3. Waste manager

With how much people keep throwing trash a day, there is no way waste managers would be able to sort them all meticulously every single time. Human capabilities are limitless but they have their stop point. As the size of accumulated trash grows to a mountain, the waste manager could use the smart dustbin to sort the trash which could help reduce the burden on them.