Design and Development of Automated Bin for Efficient Solid Waste Management

Abstract

Solid waste is a major issue that is rapidly increasing and incorporating software into trash can offers innovation in the segregation of plastic bottles and tin cans. Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) programming language was used in this study to segregate plastic bottles and tin cans in their proper chamber. The programming language was encoded in Arduino microcontroller. A solar charger controller, a power supply controller and main controller were assembled. The three controllers were then enclosed in a wooden frame. A rotary type conveyor was built inside the frame where the light dependent resistors and laser pointers were attached, and a solar panel was placedon top of the wooden frame. The product was tested in terms of percentage accuracy, response time, time to discharge the battery and general acceptability. Results revealed that the percentage accuracy of the product were 93%, 93% and 100% respectively which can be attributed to the programming language used. The response time of the sensor in tin cans was 0.67 seconds, which is less than the response time in transparent and coloured bottles, which are 0.74 seconds and 0.85 seconds respectively. The average discharging time of the battery was 65.2 hours, which denotes that the bin can be used for a long period. Generally, users of the automated bin were very satisfied with the functionality and appearance of the product. This study proved that the design and development of automated bin provide innovation to solid waste management for a greener environment.