NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

FINAL YEAR PROJECT PROPOSAL

BY TATENDA MAGOBA (N01519506T)

REAL TIME GARBAGE BIN

MONITORING AND ALERT SYSTEM
USING IOT

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system using IOT
1.0 Introduction
As a result of industrialisation, where people are producing more waste which is mostly
environmentally unfriendly. More waste is also accumulated in the towns as a result of rural to
urban movement of people (Sunil Raj Thota1, 2018) . The local authority does rubbish
collection using a predefined schedule which they made from manual pre-monitoring.
However, more garbage is being produced than what the predefined schedule of the
municipality can handle. More people are now in towns than what the local authority can
manage. Most of the people have set their business to be in towns (CBDs) for maximum profit
making. These people include both formal and non-formal sector, yet unfortunately the
municipality statistics is of formal-registered businesses. This makes their results automatically
biased.
More so, in this developing country, Zimbabwe, the country is facing economic hardships. Fuel
has been a scarce commodity lately (Vambe, 2019). As a result, the municipality has been
facing challenges in collecting garbage in time and thus the bins overflow. Some of the rubbish
begin to rot in the bins. The rubbish produce a smell and thus causing air pollution. The bins
become breeding ground for bacteria and other germs and thus becoming a health hazard to
humanity (Shobana G1, 2018). This project is to do real time monitoring of the bins in the city
so that the municipality is able to attend the bins before they over flow and it enables them to
maximise on routes by only going to where the bins have been reported to be full by the system.
Where two or more vans were supposed to be sent only one is send. By maximising on routes,
they save resources mainly the rubbish collecting van and the scarce fuel. This proposed project
solve that problem as it does real time monitoring and alert of the responsible authorities
through the use of one of the latest but cheap technologies IOT( Internet Of Things).

1.2 Background
A bin is any container that is used to keep anything that is no longer useful to the people and
is being thrown away. The proposed system is a taking a situation whereby bins are dotted
around a city in very strategic positions. There is need for these bins to be monitored and alert
the responsible authorities to collect the bins to a proper dumping sight on time before they
overflow and become breeding ground of bacteria, flies and mosquitoes. There has been a
manual monitoring system
1.2.0 Problem Statement
The absence of a real time garbage bin and alert system for the municipality officials. The bins
become full way before the prescheduled collection day. This leads to:
 An unclean place since if the bins are not collected in time the rubbish overflow and
some of them are blown by the wind and obviously reduce the smartness of the cities.
For example Harare which is known as the “Sunshine City”
 The bins becoming also a breeding ground for bacteria and other pathogens in this case,
they become a health hazard to humanity. This leading to the spreading of diseases.
This is evidenced by the report that was given the World Health Organisation, that
uncollected garbage in a location called Budiriro, Harare Zimbabwe was one of the
causes of the September 2018 Cholera outbreak (WHO, 2018).
 The uncollected garbage rotting and producing an unpleasant smell leading to air
pollution.
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There is also the issue of wastage of resources as another problem making the system costly.
In the case of low density suburb the bins are not always full on the day of garbage collection.
However, the collecting vehicle just come and thus wasting fuel which has been a scarce and
expensive resource in our country of late.
1.2.2 The existing Solutions
1. Garbage Monitoring and alert system using GSM
Block Diagram of the system

Power Supply LCD bin

GSM Modem Arduino Ultrasonic sensor

Figure 1. 1: Block diagram of garbage monitoring system using GSM

The electronic garbage monitoring system is not new in the world. Some designs have been
made before. Garbage Monitoring and Alert System using a GSM is one of them. This system
makes use of an ultrasonic sensor as the level detector of garbage in bins and then send a
message to the responsible local authority officials via GSM modem messaging them on the
rubbish level in the bin when the set critical level is reached. All the proceeding are displayed
on an LCD screen which are specifically the level of garbage in the associated bins. The system
makes use of the Arduino board as the microcontroller. This system actually achieves the
objective of informing the real authorities in real time (S.Kale, 2018).
Disadvantages of the system
 Though the system is able to inform the responsible authorities in real time there is
room for improvement.
 This system is not able to show the exact position of the bins whose data is being
displayed current system
 The system also has physical servers. (A server is a program, computer or any device
whose purpose is to manage network resources (Techopedia, n.d.).) So in the case that
the physical server crushes or gets stolen then there is a problem. Also by using a
physical server the budget is high unlike wit virtual server.
2. Garbage monitoring making use of GPS and GSM
This system is just like the above mentioned. It only has the addition of the GPS (Global
Positioning system) antenna which provides the latitude and longitude coordinates which are
used to find the exact position of the bin.

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3. Garbage monitoring making use of IR SENSOR and IOT
In this system the garbage level detector is the IR sensor interfaced with the Arduino as the
microcontroller. The IR sensors are fixed at each level as desired. In this project 5 IR sensors
are used are connected. The threshold garbage level as well as the unique ID for each bin are
selected and included in the program code. Just as the garbage reach the pre-set threshold, an
alerting SMS is send to the responsible authority via the ESP8266 WI-FI module so that they
take action. The SMS is made up of the garbage bin ID along with the GPS link to show the
exact position. The GPS link is the one used to calculate the shortest route to the bin that has
been reported as full.
Block Diagram

IR Sensors Cloud Mobile Phone

Dustbin no &GPS Link

3&
GPS antenna Wifi Module
ATMEGA 328
ESP8266
Figure 1. 2: Block diagram of garbage monitoring system using IR sensor and web page

Besides being the WI-FI module the ESP8266 is also used as the transmitter. By using it the
hardware required is reduced. The GPS antenna is used to find the exact position of the bin
using the longitude and latitude coordinates from the GPS. (Anjali V. Tarone, 2018).
Disadvantages
 Though the system tries to reduce hardware costs as it is IOT based the number of
sensors required for each bin is too much. The system also makes use of the GPS
antenna which is also expensive.
 The use of the IR sensor is not really fit for the purpose putting into consideration the
working principle of the IR sensor. It works on the theory of reflection of light waves
(Burnett, 2017). The IR sensors cannot be used in sunlight due to interference yet our
bins are outdoors in the sun. It means the results that might be send are biased.
The Proposed System- Real time garbage bin monitoring and alert system using IOT.
The system is made up of an embedded system interfaced with the technology of Internet of
things ( IOT). It ensures real time monitoring to prevent overflow, rotting of garbage. It is also
a cost effective system since resources like fuel are saved. WI-FI module is used to enable the
technology of the Internet of Things. A mobile application is also used whereby the local
authority official can see the up to date status of the bins.
1.2.3 Justification of the proposed system
 It is user friendly as it makes use of a mobile application. The system makes use of a
mobile application where the local authority officials can see the states of the bin as
they get filled.

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  The system also makes use of virtual servers. It is also an advantage as the physical
ones are expensive. The virtual ones do not crush or get stolen.
 The system is cheaper as it has less hardware requirement, it excludes the GPS antenna
since the GPS coordinate are put as part of the program code since the bin is stationery
and does not change positions. Also instead of using 5 IR sensors on one bin, only one
ultrasonic sensor is used.
 It makes use of a wi-fi module instead of a GSM this enables the use of IOT
 An ultrasonic sensor is more applicable since its working principle is not affected by
light unlike for an IR sensor whose working principle is based on emission and receipt
of light and hence it is affected by interference from the sunlight and thus not suitable
for outdoor projects.

1.4 Aim
To establish a real time garbage bin Monitoring and alert system

1.5 Objectives
To design garbage monitoring that continuously detects the level of garbage, temperature and
humidity in the bin
To design a system that alerts the local authority officials when the threshold garbage level is
reached
To design a wireless transmission channel for information to the local authority officials
To design a mobile application which is used as way of communication between local authority
officials and monitoring system at the bin
To write a program code which does real time garbage monitoring and alert system
To simulate the design of the garbage monitoring and alert system
To implement the design which is now combined with the hardware and software specifications

1.6 Justification and Significance of the proposed system

Real time monitoring system of the garbage bin is really required as it ensures 24 hour
monitoring of the bins. This means real time updates are send to the responsible authorities and
thus they can plan in advance on sending the collection of the garbage van. It means bins will
not over flow and thus the “Sunshine city” status is maintained. Below is a snippet showing
that uncollected garbage is now an issue of concern.

Figure 1. 3: 21 January 2015 a snippet of VOA Zimbabwe article (Nkomo, 2015)

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This proposed project also reduces the bacteria and other pathogens breeding in the bin. This
is achieved as humidity and temperature are monitored. The values obtained are compared by
the local authority officials against the known optimum conditions for bacteria growth which
are temperature (25-40) degrees celcius and above 60% relative humidity (Arfalk, 2015). So in
the case that there is need to prioritise the bins whose garbage is to be collected first, the bin
whose conditions are meeting the optimum conditions for bacteria growth and multiplication
is collected first. By doing so, the environment remains a health one to the people as there is
less risky of spread of diseases through the bacteria and other pathogens. In this case, there is
the reduction of disease outbreaks like the latest 2018 cholera one in 2018 (WHO, 2018).
With the proposed system in place, air pollution is also greatly reduced which is also another
advantage. According to the proposed system the garbage ae collected in time as they are
monitored instantly and the authorities required for deploying vans are advised in time. By so
doing the garbage is not given time to rot in the bins and cause pollution of the air. Below is a
snippet of a newspaper showing that indeed the uncollected garbage has been a nuisance to the
environment and human heath at most.

Figure 1. 4:27 August 2018 a snippet of The Herald article (Gogo, 2018)

This system also serves on resources such as fuel and labour. It makes use of route optimisation
where by the collecting van only goes to those areas whose bin has been reported full by the
proposed system. Instead of going right round the whole town in some areas where the bins are
not yet close to full.
The proposed system is thus very important as it would have come to our cities and the
environment at large a better place.

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 1.6 Methodology

Block Diagram GPS

Buzzer
coordinates
Ultrasonic

sensor

Arduino UNO Mobile Application

Humidity &Temp sensor
(Blynk App)

WI-FI Module Cloud

(VIRTUAL SERVER

Figure 1. 5: Block diagram of the proposed system

Description of the proposed system

Initially each bin is given a unique ID and the GPS coordinates are included in the program as
it does not change position. The ultrasonic sensor interfaced with the Arduino is used as the
garbage level detector. The Arduino is the microcontroller. If the sensor detects garbage
between 0%-70% garbage in the bin, no alert message is sent but updates are continuously sent
to the server via the WI-FI module.
In the proposed system relative humidity percentage as well as temperature are detected also.
A humidity and temperature sensor is used to achieve this. This information is important since
most bacteria grow in warm (20-40) degrees Celsius and moist (An average relative humidity
of 60% and more) environment (Arfalk, 2015). So the information about humidity and
temperature will help the municipality official on which bin to take in the case that they have
limited resources like fuel or labour to go and collect the garbage. They will go for the bin with
the most optimum conditions for bacteria growth so that the bin will not be a health hazard.
In the proposed system the blynk application is used. The application shows real time status
of the bin. If the garbage is between 70%-100% then the buzzer is on at every 10% increase. A
message is instantly send to the responsible authorities so that they start to organise on sending
the garbage collecting van. The message contains the unique ID code for each bin and a GPS
link to find the coordinates of the bin’s location. It is send through the use of the technology of
IOT (Internet of Things) and this is achieved through the use of the use of WI-FI Module.
The IOT ensures the communication between the system at the bin and mobile application. The
status of bins can easily be seen in the mobile application.

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The Flow chart

Start

Transmit Bin’s ID &

Location

Detect bin level, Humidity

and Temperature

N Repeat

Is Bin level at
70% or80% or
90%?

Send Notification to the

responsible officials via
mobile Application

Authority send cleaning

vehicles

When bin is cleaned update

bin status

Repeat

Figure 1.6:Flow chart of the proposed system

The above flow chart gives a further description of how the system works.
Software
The Arduino IDE is used in the proposed system as the official software for programming the
Arduino.

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1.7Time Esimations
Ghant Chart
KEY: 1 PERIOD=1 week

1.8 Budget
Table1. 1: Budget of components

COMPONET Quantity Prices in USD $

WIFI Module 1 7
Ultrasonic sensor 1 5
Arduino 1 12
Buzzer 1 3
Humidity and temperature 1 7
sensor
Connecting wires 1 pack of 40 3
ESTIMATED TOTAL COST 37
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1.9 Conclusion
Garbage is really a nuisance to the humans as it leads to an unhealthy environment. Thus there
is need for a monitoring system ensuring that the garbage bin are emptied in time.

References
Anjali V. Tarone, A. A. K. H. H. S. R. P. G. P., 2018. IOT Based Smart Garbage Monitoring System Using
ESP8266 with GPS Link. International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) ,
05(03), pp. 3367-3368.

anonymus, 2014. Pindula. [Online]

Available at: https://www.pindula.co.zw
[Accessed 19 Septmber 2019].

Arfalk, E., 2015. The Compressed Air Blog. [Online]

Available at: https://www.thecompressedairblog.com
[Accessed 25 September 2019].

Burnett, R., 2017. MaxBotix. [Online]

Available at: https://www.maxbotix.com
[Accessed 21 September 2019].

Gogo, J., 2018. The Herald. [Online]

Available at: https://www.herald.co.zw
[Accessed 23 Septmber 2019].

K.Harika, M. ,. V. ,. P. R., 2018. IOT Based Smart Garbage Monitoring and Alert System Using Arduino
UNO. International Journal of Innovative Research in Computer and Communication Engineering ,
6(2), pp. 1573-1581.

Nkomo, n., 2015. VOA Zimbabwe. [Online]

Available at: https://www.voazimbabwe.com
[Accessed 23 september 2019].

S.Kale, P. K. G., 2018. GSM based Garbage Monitoring System. International Journal of Advanced
Research in Computer and Communication Engineering , 7(4), pp. 177-180.

Shobana G1, S. R. 1. S. D. o. E. K. C. o. T. C. 2. P. D. o. E. K. C. o. T. C., 2018. AUTOMATED GARBAGE

COLLECTION USING GPS AND GSM. International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics , 118(20),
pp. 715-755.

Sunil Raj Thota1, S. S. R. T. S. N. K. V. N. L. P. K. M. M. P. M. N. S., 2018. Smart Trash Can Monitoring

System using IoT - Creating Solutions for Smart Cities. International Research Journal of Engineering
and Technology (IRJET) , 05(03), pp. 238-242.

Techopedia, n.d. Techopedia. [Online]

Available at: http://www.techopedia.com
[Accessed 21 09 2019].

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Vambe, E. M. N. /., 2019. NewsDay. [Online]
Available at: https://www.newsday.co.zw
[Accessed 21 September 2019].

WHO, 2018. World Health Organisatiom. [Online]

Available at: https://www.who.int
[Accessed 17 09 2019].

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