Running head: SOLAR POWERED ARDUINO BASED AUTOMATIC TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 1

Solar Powered Arduino Based Automatic Texting Device for Trash Can

Almoete, Vic Ashley F. , and Jon Lorenz Jalotjot

Pedro Guevara Memorial National High School

Running head: SOLAR POWERED ARDUINO BASED AUTOMATIC TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 2

Table of Contents

Abstract 3

Introduction 4

Background of the Study 5

Statement of the Study 8

Hypothesis 9

Significance of the Study 9

Scope and Limitation 9

Research Design 10

Materials 10

Procedure 10

Statistical Treatment 13

Risk and Safety 13

Results and Discussion 13

Conclusion 15

References 15

Appendices 16
Running head: SOLAR POWERED ARDUINO BASED AUTOMATIC TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 3

Abstract

The Automatic Texting Device for Trash Can is an Arduino-based device that has the

capability to measure the garbage can’s waste level using an ultrasonic sensor and notify the

authority ar anyone responsible with the help of the GSM Module.It aims to improve the public

places by detecting the garbage level of the trash can and notifying the authority via SMS. The

device is solar powered so it won’t be needing much attention for charging and it is also eco-

friendly. It is an Arduino-based system and it has a GSM Module that will send an SMS. The

researcher tested the device by measuring the responsiveness of the device with 3 different

garbage threshold distances; 10 cm, 15 cm and 20 cm from the sensor. The data was tested using

Sheffe’s Test and researcher have found out that AvB, BvsC and AvsC have no significant

difference which means that the responsiveness of the ATD does not change depending on th
SOLAR POWERED TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 4

Solar Powered Arduino Based Automatic Texting Device for Trash Can

Nowadays, there are tons of buildings, houses and public structures have been built in the

rapid increase of urbanization in many areas. The increase in population and the continuous

buildings of many structures become the factors of increase in the number of waste in many

urban and rural areas. There are several issues faced by the people and the environment. One of

them is the issue of domestic waste disposal, which further results to pollution. The trash cans in

public places like schools tend to be filled very quickly, but the people are unaware when to

collect it. Thus, the unsystematic system of garbage management causes the bins to be full of

garbage, and when the bins get full, people tend to just throw their waste and it will cause the

garbage piles to be scattered outside the bins.

Wrong waste management not only cause diseases, but it can also be the cause of

environmental problems like flooding, water and land pollution. Animals are also affected too

because it can cause disturbance to their natural habitat and there are cases where the animals

accidentally eat the garbage like plastics and further results to their death.

The disposal of domestic wastes can be more managed and efficient it the bins will be

monitored according to its garbage level. By this way, the care takers or the officials of public

places can be alerted when the garbage cans are full, compared to scheduled collecting of garbage.

This study presents a new and an alternative way of managing the wastes especially in

public places via a smart waste monitoring system, which is developed by the use of

ArduinoUno.This system will automatically monitor and alarm the collector of such public places

when the trash cans are full. The advantage of this device that this will be a solar powered device

so it will run for longer hours than a battery based device.

Background of the Study

SOLAR POWERED TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 5

The number of domestic garbage scattered in our environment is drastically increasing. It

is caused by the large and increasing population in every rural and urban areas in our country.

This progress to high demand for plastic and other industrial products, meaning there will be

more garbage that will be thrown to our garbage bins. Most public places don’t have the right

way of managing their waste disposal, and this will result the garbage to be piled up in the

garbage can. When people see the garbage pile in the bin, they tend to just throw the garbage

away and let the trash go somewhere. This result to many problems like pollution and may also

root to many diseases. Not only those, but it can also cause flooding and other environmental

problems that might affect the natural living of humans and animals.

This study aims to improve the waste management in public places like schools and

municipalities. The researchers will make a device that will automatically monitor the garbage

level in the trash can and will automatically send SMS message to the collector once the garbage

can becomes full. This project will be developed by the use of Arduino Uno as it’s main brain

and with the use of ultrasonic sensor and a GSM Module. The ultrasonic sensor will serve as the

monitor of the trash can since it has the capability to measure the distance and if there’s an

object around . The GSM Module will serve as the alert for the collector since it has the

capability to generate SMS, the module will send an SMS to the collector once the ultrasonic

sensor sensed object in certain level.

The project USenSewer, an automatic sewerage management system uses Arduino

microcontroller along with Ultrasonic sensors and GSM Module to automate the routine

checkup of the sewage system blockage vital for the continuous waste water flow in the big

cities. (Talukder, et al., 2017)

SOLAR POWERED TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 6

An ultrasonic sensor that is able to measure the distance from the ground of selected

points of a motor vehicle. The sensor is based on the measurement of the time of flight of an

ultrasonic pulse, which is reflected by the ground. A constrained optimization technique is

employed to obtain reflected pulses that are easily detectable by means of a threshold

comparator. Such a technique, which takes the frequency response of the ultrasonic transducers

into account, allows a sub-wavelength detection to be obtained. Experimental tests, performed

with a 40 kHz piezoelectric-transducer based sensor, showed a standard uncertainty of 1 mm at

rest or at low speeds; the sensor still works at speeds of up to 30 m/s, although at higher

uncertainty. The sensor is composed of only low cost components, thus being apt for first car

equipment in many cases, and is able to self-adapt to different conditions in order to give the best

results. (Carullo & Parvis, An ultrasonic sensor for distance measurement in automotive

applications, 2001)

GSM network is the most worldwide mobile communication network nowadays. Based

on the SIEMENS MC35 GSM module, general techniques of communication with GSM network

are depicted, including the initialization of terminal equipment, sending and reading short

messages (SMS), sending SMS to group users, and the management on phonebook of SIM card,

furthermore, a flexible solution on real-time reading SMS is proposed. Finally, application cases

are given for GSM module. (Yuchun, Yinghong , Kun , & Zhuang, 2011)

A project was made to develop an automated system that controls switching of the

electronic feeder power supply using the existing GSM technology.The target is to operate the

device according to a preset sequence of on-off mode for three feeders after a particular time

interval and to monitor the running condition. The device sends short message updating the

status of every action. It also warns the consumers about load shedding using GSM module via
SOLAR POWERED TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 7

sending message. Controlling the gate pulse of a MOSFET that operates the relay, it executes on-

off operation of the circuit breaker of the respective feeders. Since GSM technology is used

worldwide for communication, third world countries that are still struggling to meet the power

demand can use this technology to operate and monitor the condition of power distribution.

(Ahmed, Khaled, Ali, & Rahman, 2013)

Smart garbage monitoring system using sensors with RFID over internet of things, it

creates bad health condition for the people by spreading some deadly diseases , to avoid such

situation , planning to design a smart bins means it contains some sensors like IR sensor ,weight

sensor, photoelectric sensor and Radio frequency identification (RFID) CARD reader with help

of these if someone is putting some garbage into the smart bins photo electric sensor will detect

the clear representation objects and weight sensor will be placed below the smart bin it will

calculate the percentage of the garbage is present inside the bin and with help of IR sensor it will

send the information to the authorities who are responsible for that particular area .So, the

particular authorities can receive the messages until the bin is squashed and the each bin is given

an particular ID it will in display in the screen of the respected officer and they can take

immediate action. (Satyamanikanta, Somu & Madeshan, Narayanan, 2017)

Smart Waste Bin with Real-Time Monitoring System, the system framework is based on

a network of wireless sensors [WSN] that includes three sections: renewable power sources,

WSN and control station. There are four advanced subsystems within this structure: solar energy

system, intelligent waste bin, brief messaging service [SMS] notification system and real-time

surveillance system that are interconnected to each other in order to function as an effective cost-

effective waste management scheme that delivers a green and healthy living environment. (Mohd

Yusof, 2018)
SOLAR POWERED TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 8

Smart Waste Collection System Based on Location Intelligence, solution for collecting

waste based on supplying trashcans with intelligence, using an IoT prototype integrated with

sensors that can read, retrieve and communicate information on the Internet. (Gutierrez, 2015)

Integrated Sensing Systems and Algorithms for Solid Waste Bin State Management

Automation, Intelligent solid waste bin is crucial for the development of an effective and vibrant

waste management scheme. This study introduces the application and implementation of an

embedded sensor scheme and solid waste bin algorithm to automate the method of solid waste

management. Several detecting techniques were incorporated and coupled their verdicts offering

bin condition detection and measurement of parameters. Various sample runs was performed to

evaluate the prototype system's workings.

The results showed that the algorithm-based detection scheme is effective and smart and

can be used merely to automate any method of solid waste bin leadership. (M. Abdulla Al

Mamun, 2015)

Smart and wireless waste management, system that provides prior information about

loading the bin that alerts the municipality and proposes a "Smart Garbage Bin" that alerts and

informs the authorized person when the garbage bin is about to be filled. NIR spectroscopy is

used for biodegradable waste separation. (Thakker, 2015)

Statement of the Problem

The problem caused by PGMNHS student is how to dispose their garbage properly.

Likewise, this garbage is always at it’s full. The monitoring of these is these is the main concerns

of the school This study aims to measure the efficiency of ATD in monitoring the garbage level

of trash can.

1. To determine the responsiveness of ATD in

SOLAR POWERED TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 9

1.1 10 cm

1.2 15 cm

1.3 20 cm

2. To determine the electrical consumption efficiency of ATD.

Hypotheses

AH: The distance of the ATD from the garbage can’s threshold does not affect its

response time.

NH:The distance of the device from the limit does affect its response time.

Significance of the Study

The main significance of the study is to help the environment and improve the waste

management especially in public places to reduce the waste being scattered and this study also

aims to reduce the factors that give risk to the health of many people in rural and urban areas. In

addition, this study also target to make the lives of the animals to be safer by preventing the

pollutants to reach their natural habitat. It is also efficient because it will be a solar powered

device so there will be less electrical consumption thus helping the environment.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study focuses on making a device that allows people to monitor their trash can, and

avoid the garbage from being piled up In the environment and prevent pollution. This focuses to

improve the garbage collection and waste management especially in public places. This device

aims to help the environment as well as the people, this will be very beneficial and useful to those

who are not aware of the amount of garbage in their trash can and don’t know when to replace it.
SOLAR POWERED TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 10

This study only aims to create an automatic texting system for trash can and does not

separate biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes. This will only use Ultrasonic sensor and no

other sensors will be used.

Materials and Method

Research Design
The researcher used the One group design treatment for this study, it’s used as the treatment

in the data collected in the testing of the ATD. Single Group Design. The single groupdesign is

a design in which a group of subjects are administered a treatment and then measured (or

observed). Usually, with this design, an intact group of subjects is given the treatment and then

measured or observed. This study followed the developmental method of research. The

developmental method is the improvement of an existing project by adding special features that

makes the design project more convenient to use. The researchers came up with the idea of doing

a device that automatically detects the garbage level of a trash can and automatically texting it to

the authority. It is an Arduino-based device that is solar powered and has the capability to send

SMS by the help of SIM800L GSM Module.

Materials

In this study, 1 Arduino, 1 50 watts solar panel, 1 GSM Module, 1 Ultrasonic Sensor, 2

DC-DC buck converter, and 1 7AH Lead Acid Battery and 2 DC-DC Buck Converters were

used. Table 1 shows the materials used in making the Automatic Texting Device

Table 1: The quantity and price of the materials used to create the ATD

Materials Quantity Price

SOLAR POWERED TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 11

Arduino Uno 1 Php 600

50 Watts Solar Pamel\ 1 Php1530

GSM Module 1 Php650

Ultrasonic Sensor 1 Php200

DC-DC Buck Converter 2 Php150

7AH Lead Acid Battery 1 Php650

10 Amoere Charge 1 Php150

Controller

Procedure

Figure 1 : The steps and procedure in making the Solar Powered Automatic Texting Device

• Acquisition of Materials
PhaseI • Designing of the Device

Phase II
• Construction of the system

Phase III
• Programming and Debugging

Phase IV
• Testing
SOLAR POWERED TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 12

Figure 2 : The schematic diagram of the Automatic Texting Device

The system was constructed by the researcher by connecting the solar panel to a charge

controller to regulate it’s voltage and current output and then was connected to the 7AH Lead Acid

Battery to store the energy. And then after that the Automatic Texting device was connected to

the battery.

The Automatic Texting Device was made using the materials collected, the Ultrasonic

sensor is connected to the Arduino UNO, the arduino UNO serves as the main brain of the system,

it is a microcontroller like a mini computer; vcc to 5v, gnd to gnd, echo on pin 3, and trigger on

pin 2. The gsm module is connected to the Arduino UNO; GND to GND, 5v to 5v, RxD pin to pin

10 and TxD pin to pin 11. The system also has 2 DC-DC Buck Converter, one that is regulated

into 12volts to supply power for the Arduino UNO and one regulated to 3.7v to supply the power

for the GSM Module. Note that the GSM Module need to have a load to send SMS.

STATISTICAL TREATMENT
SOLAR POWERED TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 13

The data gathered by the researchers was treated using One Way ANOVA. And then it

was treated using the Sheffe’s test to see if there are significant differences among the 3

experimental setups used in the study.

Risk and Safety

The researchers conducted a research that involves doing electronics stuff. The researchers had

some difficulties to make some parts and the researchers had some confusion during the

construction of the device. The researchers had seek the advice of wthe elders and reliable person

that is expert in doing electronics and digital stuffs.

Results and Discussion

Garbage Detection Response Time of ATD

Table 2 Response Time of ATD with different distances of the sensor from the trash limit

Response Time (seconds)

Distance TRIAL1 TRIAL2 TRIAL3 SMS Notification
10cm 1.76 2.26 1.92 Successful
15cm 1.32 1.48 1.74 Successful
20cm 2.38 2.13 2.23 Successful

The first column shows the different distance of the device from the threshold of the trash

can. The researchers did 3 trials in every distance; 10 cm, 15 cm and 20 cm. The experiment with

the 10 cm distance resulted 1.76s in first trial, 2.26s in second trial, and 1.92s in third trial. The

experiment with the 15 cm distance resulted 1.32 in first trial, 1.48s in second trial, and 1.74s

in third trial. And the experiment with the 20 cm distance resulted 2.38s in first trial, 2.13s in

second trial, and 2.23s in third trial. The table shows that the time difference between the trials in

3 experimental treatments are close to each other.

SOLAR POWERED TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 14

Table 3: The electricity consumption of the device

COMPONENTS CURRENT CONSUMPTION

SIM800L GSM MODULE 380mA (sending SMS)

7.0 mA(idle
HCSR04 ULTRASONIC SENSOR 6.3 mA
Arduino Uno ATMEGA328p 54.7 mA
TOTAL : 401.3 mA (SENDING SMS). 68mA (idle)

Table 3 shows the different electric consumption of the components of ATD when it is

ide and when it is sending SMS. Based on the table, the total current consumption of ATD is

401.3 mA when sending SMS and 68.mA when it is idle.

Table 4 Results in One Way ANOVA treatment of the study

Distance Mean F-computed value Fcrit Pvalue Interpretation

(Seconds)
10cm Insignificant
1.980
15cm 9.84 5.14 0.013 Insignificant
1.513

20cm insignificant
2.24

The F-computed value of 9.84 is greater than F-critical value of 5.14 at 0.05 level of

significance with 2 and 6 degrees of freedom, the null hypothesis is rejected in favor of the

research hypothes. Furthermore, a post hoc test was performed to determine which among the

treatments are significantly different. Scheffe’s Test revealed that the response time of the ATD

is insignificantly different to in the three experimental setups, the distance of the sensor from the

treshold; which are 10cm, 15cm, 29 com. The computed A vs B, B vs C and A vs C have

insignificant difference which means that distance don’t have so much impact in affecting the

response time of the ATD.

SOLAR POWERED TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 15

CONCLUSION

Based on the data gathered by the researcher, ATD has a high accuracy when it comes in

detecting if the trash can is full of garbage. The response time of the ATD is fast and makes it’s

mean acceptability high. On the other hand, the result on the Sheffe’s Test further supports the

result that there is no significant difference in the response time of the ATD.

RECOMMENDATION

Researcher suggests that the ATD can be used not only in Garbage level sensing and

monitoring; it can also be used in some applications and situations like a security system and can

also be used in water level sensing. The capability of the ultrasonic sensor along with Arduino

Uno and GSM Module makes it a versatile device that can also be used on other applications. In

doing projects with GSM Module, you must find a place where the signal is strong that is suited

for the module to register to the network.

REFERENCES
Ahmed, A., Khaled, M., Ali, M., & Rahman, M. (2013). Controlling and Monitoring of Electric Feeders
Using GSM Network Technology. Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, pp. 5-8.

Carullo, A., & Parvis, M. (2001). An ultrasonic sensor for distance measurement in automotive
applications. Sensors Journal, 143-147.
SOLAR POWERED TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 16

Carullo, A., & Parvis, M. (2001). An ultrasonic sensor for distance measurement in automotive
applications. Sensors Journal, 143-147.

Gutierrez, J. &. (2015). Smart Waste Collection System Based on Location Intelligence. RG Journal .

M. Abdulla Al Mamun, M. A. (2015). Integrated Sensing Systems and Algorithms for Solid Waste Bin
State Management Automation. Sensors Journal vol. 15, no. 1, 561-567.

Mohd Yusof, N. &. (2018). Smart Waste Bin with Real-Time Monitoring System. International Journal
of Engineering & Technology.

Satyamanikanta, Somu & Madeshan, Narayanan. (2017). Smart garbage monitoring system using sensors
with RFID over internet of things. Journal of Advanced Research in Dynamical and Control
Systems.

Talukder, S. &. (2017). USenSewer: Ultrasonic Sensor and GSM-Arduino Based Automated Sewerage
Management. .

Talukder, S., Sakib, M., Talukder,Zahidur, Das, U., Saha, A., & Sultan Nazar Bayev, N. (2017).
USenSewer: Ultrasonic Sensor and GSM-Arduino Based Automated Sewerage Management.

Thakker, S. &. (2015). Smart and wireless waste management. 2015 International Conference on
Innovations in Information, Embedded and Communication Systems (ICIIECS). Coimbatore:
IEEE.

Yuchun, M., Yinghong , H., Kun , Z., & Zhuang, L. (2011). General Application Research on GSM
Module., (pp. 525-528).

Figure 2 Flowchart of the Automatic Texting Device

SOLAR POWERED TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 17

Figure 3 The sketch of the ATD

 SOLAR POWERED TEXTING DEVICE FOR TRASH CAN 18

Anova: Single
Factor

SUMMARY

Groups Count Sum Average Variance

Row 1 3 5.94 1.98 0.0652

Row 2 3 4.54 1.513333333 0.044933333

Row 3 3 6.74 2.246666667 0.015833333

ANOVA

Source of
Variation SS df MS F P-value F crit

Between Groups 0.826666667 2 0.413333333 9.843874041 0.012743116 5.14325285

Within Groups 0.251933333 6 0.041988889

Total 1.0786 8

Computation in Scheffe’s Test

1 2

1 2
1 2

A vs B B vs C A vs C
(1.980-1.513)² (1.513-2.24)² (1.980-2.24)²
F’= (0.42)(3+3) F’= (0.42)(3+3) F’= (0.42)(3+3)
(3)(3) (3)(3) (3)(3)

F’=0.78 F’=1.89 F’=0.24