IOT Bins
Considering the present day scenario, we see dumps of garbage lying around the cities. The land waste is increasing everyday especially in big cities and recreational places and overexposure of dump like that leads to the spread of diseases releasing toxic gases into the environment which has health
2025-06-28 16:33:53 - Adil Khan
IOT Bins
Project Area of Specialization Internet of ThingsProject SummaryConsidering the present day scenario, we see dumps of garbage lying around the cities. The land waste is increasing everyday especially in big cities and recreational places and overexposure of dump like that leads to the spread of diseases releasing toxic gases into the environment which has health hazards related to it. Living in an under-developed country like Pakistan, it is a major issue today so the plan of this project is focused towards automating the waste management of metropolitan cities and housing societies. For this purpose, in the proposed system, there are multiple smart dustbins located throughout the city. The bins will be having an integrated circuitry embedded inside it which has various different modules to achieve different purposes. The major thing that the bin tracks is the fill-level of the garbage inside the bin (based on a pre-defined threshold) that is when the garbage level exceeds the threshold, a notification will be sent to the truck driver who will be then picking it up via optimized routes saving time, fuel and money. Also, this information will be propagated to the server from where the web and android interface will be updated. Since this is an IoT project, as mentioned it has two parts related to it: hardware and software. The hardware circuitry embedded inside the bin and the software which includes the use of server (to propagate the data into the database), web interface (for administrative purposes) and android application (for the truck drivers who have to pick it up)
Project ObjectivesThe organizations responsible for waste management have to check waste and disposal is responsible to collect waste around the city. The most perplexing task is to check the waste bins. Garbage collector visits every dustbin to collect garbage hence also visiting the dustbins that aren't filled. In this case, this method is time wasting and is complex. The average time taken for this method is time-consuming and is a waste of fuel for the garbage truck. Hence picking up dustbins according to fill level will allow less waste pollution. The smart waste management system is an idea which, if implemented, can control problems related to pollution and the diseases caused by it. The waste management has to be done efficiently and instantly else it leads to irregular management which will eventually have adverse effects on the environment. The smart waste management system is compatible mainly with the concept of smart cities. The main objectives of our proposed system are as follows:
1. Monitor waste management in an efficient way.
2. Provide smart technology for waste management.
3. Reduce human time, effort and resources involved in waste management.
4. Results in a healthy and waste-ridden environment.
Project Implementation MethodWork Flow:
- Integrated circuitry consisting of various hardware modules
- Server to which the hardware circuitry sends data.
- Server is continuously checked for updates which in turn updates the android and web interfaces
- .Web Application is for administrative purposes
- Android application is for the drivers (providing route optimization) notifying when they need to pick up the garbage.
Implementation Steps :
Hardware Setup - The hardware modules for this project are as follows:
- Ultrasonic Sensor – It measures the fill level of the dustbin
- GSM Module - Once the fill level is detected every moment, it also a pre-defined limit which shows that it shouldn’t exceed a specific limit (say X). If it reaches the limit X, a GSM module sends an alert to the concerned authorities that the garbage needs to be picked up.
- Solar Panel – It provides the battery backup.
- Arduino/ESP Module/MyRIO – A controller.
- Server Connection The modules are connected to MySql Server from which the databases are updated.
- Interfaces Web Application It is for the administrative use. The web application will be launched in browser such as Chrome, Firefox or any other browser.
- Android Application It is for the second actor of the system i.e. the truck drivers. It works same as for example, an Uber app would. This part won’t need a specific software, the android OS has pre-installed drivers to run any type of application once installed. The driver just has to install the IoT bin application from play store to use it. According to the appropriate android version the application will run accordingly. Alerts to the driver’s mobile and application If the bin level in any area exceeds a pre-defined limit, alerts will be sent to the respective driver automatically. Route Optimization The app is integrated with Google Maps and it will give the driver shortest route to reach the location, saving time and fuel.
This system has many features like reliability, accuracy and scalability (as anytime the capacity of client and servers can be increased). Also, this provides easy maintenance as the roles and responsibilities can be distributed. It has many advantages such as:
- The waste will be picked up on time-to-time basis
- Less toxicity in the environment as reduced bad smells of garbage
- Allowing route optimization
- Saving fuel, reducing the carbon footprint
- Green and ecological environment
Considering this project, we don’t really face a large set of competitors since this idea has not been implemented ever in Pakistan. This has definitely given us a setback in maintaining a clean environment but once this idea is adopted as a national standard, then it would benefit both the metropolitan and the people. Hence this definitely creates a new category of product or service.
Technical Details of Final Deliverable- Ultrasonic sensor is attached with dustbin in order to calculate fill level. The values of the sensor are shown above as the sensor was brought closer to an object. Sensor was able to detect all type of surfaces including liquid and solid. Solid materials which are wavy in surface and as well as smooth surface. Ultrasonic sensor is coded is attached with ESP32 programmed in Arduino. It's connected with GSM module which transmits sensor data to webserver.
- Android App has the following functionalities:
- Change of dustbin indicators on fill levels
- Login
- Route Optimization (Google Maps)
- Driver Information
- Collection History
- According to requirement specification the application must show the shortest path from current location the nearest filled dustbin. This is done by using google Map functions and applying comparator class in Java to sort dustbin from current location.
- Web App has the following functionalities:
- Truck driver current location
- View all dustbin
- Add/Remove dustbin
- All drivers past history and record
- Communicate to drivers
| Item Name | Type | No. of Units | Per Unit Cost (in Rs) | Total (in Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total in (Rs) | 68000 | |||
| STEREOLABS - ZED STEREO CAMERA FOR REALTIME 3D MAPPING | Equipment | 1 | 68000 | 68000 |