SegreTRASH: An Arduino-based Segregating Trash Bin

Abstract

Waste segregation is the process by which waste is separated into different elements. Lack of segregation is one of the major issues in our society since it has lots of negative effects both to human and environment. The main objective of this device is to study the efficiency of SegreTRASH in terms of1) accuracy of the sensors in detecting motion, and 2) testing if the reaction time of the system is below five seconds, and the success rate of identifying wet and dry wastes. The process of constructing the SegreTRASH was divided into three stages: gathering and wiring the hardware of the project, such as the sensors and servo motor, programming of the microcontroller and statistical hypothesis testing. The microcontroller received digital data from the sensors by wiring the Moisture Sensor and FC-51 Infrared Sensor to analog pin 0 or A0 and analog pin 1 or A1 respectively. The servo motor was controlled with pin 9 or D9. All sensors and modules were powered from the 5V pin of the microcontroller and modules were connected with a common ground or GND. The primary source of energy of the project could be a power bank or could be plugged into a power outlet. With the use of Arduino® Mega 2560™ Microcontroller, sensors such as Moisture Sensor, Infrared Distance Sensor, and a servo motor, the device will be able to segregate trash according to their moisture as wet or dry. The z-score of response time has a mean of 5.91 seconds and a standard deviation of 0.13 in 30 trials. Therefore, the transmission of data is below six-second buffer and is considered steadfast. The SegreTrash classified 25 out of 30 trials correctly. With this, it can be stated that the efficiency of identifying CORRECTLYis at 83.33%. The z-score of infrared detection has a mean of 2.86 meters and a standard deviation of 0. 1 meterin 30 trials which were acceptable and proves that sensor is functional. Therefore, SegreTRASH: An Arduino-based Segregating Trash Bin is efficient in terms of segregating wastes in terms of the success rate of identifying wet and dry wastes, and also reliable in terms of response time and also accuracy or sensitivity of the infrared/distance sensor