Auto Waste Segregator

The rapid growth in the population has also led to the surge in the
volume of waste being generated on a daily basis. This increase in the
generation of waste due to continuous growth in the urbanization and
industrialization has become a severe problem for the local and the
national government. It is also posing a serious problem for the local
authorities to manage the wastes being dumped everywhere as landfill.
To ensure the minimal risk to the environment and human health, it is
necessary to take meticulous measures when segregating and
transporting waste. Segregation of waste in a proper manner brings to
the limelight actual economic value of the waste. The traditional method
used for segregating of waste in India is through rag pickers which are
time-consuming and can have adverse effects on the health of the people
who are exposed to such wastes. Here we propose the use of an Auto
Waste Segregator (AWS) which is cheap and also an easy to use solution
for segregation of household waste. It is designed to segregate the waste
into four categories viz. electronics, medical, dry and wet waste.

Design and working principle

This proposed model contains sections of a pair of light sensors and its
circuit, a demo camera, a microcontroller, bi-directional motor driver,
two DC gear motors and some containers. Whenever we put wastages in
the container it detects the nature of the wastages by the light sensor, op-
amp and camera then, separates it by a robotic hand and puts it in a
specified container. Then that hand comes to its original position. All the
sensors and motor drivers are connected to a microcontroller.
Microcontroller checks input from light sensor and camera and give
commands to the motor to perform the action.
Note - Here we have made a prototype model using a demo camera and
a predefined coding that as per coding we have to keep wastages in
container with sequentially manner. If we will make it in real form using
image processing work and some other sensors, the cost will be
35,000/-.
Materials required

1. At89c2051 microcontroller

2. L293d motor driver

3. 2 DC gear motor

4. PCB and transistors

5. Led and resistors

6. Transformer - 12v 1Amp

7. Diodes - IN4007

8. Capacitor 1000UF

9. LDR

10. 5 containers

11. Lm 393 op-amp

Block
Future scope

This type of product can be used in housing societies, offices, etc.

Since it is cost effective, it can be implemented on a large scale as
well with some modifications. Using a robotic arm along with a
conveyor belt will make the process of segregation easier. Also, more
sensors can be used to segregate bio-degradable and non-bio-
degradable waste, plastics, recyclable waste, e- waste, and medical
waste.