2021 International
2021 Conference
International onon
Conference Computing, Communication,
Computing, andand
Communication,
Waste Collection & Segregation using Computer
Vision and Convolutional Neural Network for
2021 International Conference on Computing, Communication, and Intelligent Systems (ICCCIS) | 978-1-7281-8529-3/20/$31.00 ©2021 IEEE | DOI: 10.1109/ICCCIS51004.2021.9397092
Vessels
Sruthy V, Akshaya, Anjana S, Sai Supriya Ponnaganti, V Gokul Pillai, Preetha P K;
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri, India
sruthyv@am.amrita.edu, akshayasmithapavithran@gmail.com, anjanageethu341@gmail.com, supriyaponnaganti7@gmail.com,
gokulpillai05@gmail.com, preethapk@am.amrita.edu
Abstract The global crisis of pollution has influenced our
lives adversely. Preparing the most salutary in reducing the
catastrophe has its dominant necessity. Due to the expanding
population, plastics in our neighborhood water bodies have
increased for the past ten years, progressing the obligation to clean
it up. This work intends towards the analysis of an automatic
garbage collection system for a vessel/boat with improved
performance. The focus of this paper is the development of a
sorting and classification mechanism/model for the collected
garbage by the vessel/boat incorporating the application of
convolutional neural network (CNN) and computer vision. Using
CNN & computer vision, the garbage features can be extracted
and can be classified further into biodegradable and non-
biodegradable with a prediction accuracy of more than 90%,
which can be further increased by increasing the data set quantity
for the model.
Keywords Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Computer
Vision, Waste Segregation
I. INTRODUCTION
The pollution crisis all over the world has created the
inevitability of preparing the most salutary in reducing its
threat on the environment and life. The poisonous effluents
discharged in the water bodies by individuals have created
jeopardy and a global matter for concern. The toxic
substances from industries, household wastes, and medical
wastes discharged into the water have resulted in water
quality deterioration, traversing the loss of drinking water,
and the extinction of numerous living forms. As a result of
the human-generated toxicities, aquatic lives majorly suffer
due to the dissolution of diffused oxygen in the water. A solar
powered trash-collection boat/vessel will be a better solution
for the same [1] [2]. Such solar powered systems can be more
reliable if they can rely on offshore charging while they are
in transit and in operation [3][4][5][6]. Integration of
Computer vision, the most exciting and developing subject of
this century, enhances the efficiency and reliability of the
system. In this study, the OpenCV-Python library is used for
image processing. Real time images of specific pixel size are
ISBN: XX-X-XX-XX-X/19/$31.00©2021
ISBN: 978-1-7281-8529-3/21/$31.00 ©2021 IEEE
IEEE 1
1043
Authorized licensed use limited to: National University Fast. Downloaded on November 04,2022 at 05:34:56 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
Intelligent Systems
Intelligent (ICCCIS)
Systems (ICCCIS)
taken directly into the database and after pre-processing the
data, for the ease for the model, the region of interest will be
defined and only then these images are forwarded into the
CNN model for feature extraction. Think about humans at a
glance; they will identify which object, and it will be
classified. The developed convolution neural network (CNN)
is extensively used in image processing because it is excellent
in image classification and recognition. CNN is a multi-tiered
neural network, with a deep learning framework. The
traditional method used for image classifying is machine
learning, which is a part of artificial intelligence [7] [8] [9].
Machine learning extracts essential features such as edges,
textures, and creates a classification model based on the
extracted features. There are countless numbers of
disadvantages in machine learning. Only certain features are
being extracted in this work. The convolutional neural
network is further proficient and effective than the classical
the human brain is more. CNN has been used for many years
for the classification purpose by combining natural language
processing and computer vision. It can classify any object by
identifying the features from the existing data sets. The
technique of identifying the feature from existing data by
CNN is so unique. At first, the decision must be made on how
many layers the model needs. Then in each convolutional
layer, the size of the image is reduced, and by max-pooling at
the end of the neural network, the system will find out a
pattern to classify the object. In the current scenario, waste
separation from the piles of waste collected from the water
bodies is significant. So, in this work, the convolutional
neural network along with computer vision is selected for the
pattern identification and the information is broken down
homogeneously at each level. In this study, a conveyor belt
mechanism development for the trash collection operation,
design simulation using Proteus Design Suite and the
classification of collected waste into biodegradable and non-
biodegradable are incorporated for a solar powered
boat/vessel, leading to the concept of zero emission,
 2021 International
2021 Conference
International onon
Conference Computing, Communication,
Computing,
Communication,
sustainable marine/water transportation. This work aims to
apply CNN for image classification and help humans to make
fast and efficient decisions. The outline of the paper comes
after: section II details about the background of the work.
Section III explaining the methodology of the waste
collection, and section IV the development of conveyor belt
mechanism. Section V briefs the methodology of waste
detection and classification using CNN, section VI describes
the analysis of the data set, with section VII describing the
data extraction and defining contour process and section VIII
explains the convolutional neural network of the work.
Section IX details the results of the work. The final section
foresees the scope of this work.
II. BACKGROUND
Numerous trash-collecting systems have been developed.
However, the collected waste was nevermore worked on
sorting using CNN. Diverse different algorithms have been
developed to classify images, such as RNNs, SVMs, and
ANN. Nevertheless, CNN is the best algorithm for image
classification. [1] developed a trash collector with Autodesk
inventor and a 3-D prototype for visualizing the design. Their
design consists of catamaran hulls made up of fiberglass to
reduce the resistance of water and move freely on the water's
surface. [2] presents an updated model of garbage collecting
boats as this model completely works on solar energy, and it
does not require any external source of supply. This model
consists of a solar panel and a battery of 12 V [7]. Ever since
the year 2012 various CNN architectures have been forged in
order to solve the majority of the image classification
problems [8][9] [10] [11]. A system has been created to
recycle the metal pieces by the use of a mechanically
operating shape identifier, in the year 1999 by Lulea
University of technology [12]. [13] utilized features from
SIFT along with the silhouette of Bayesian computational
work, and built a system using the Flickr object database. [14]
in 2016 created an Auto-Trash using Google's TensorFlow,
which enabled the determination between composts and with
the help of Raspberry Pi, it was recycled. In brief, their
system was able to differentiate compost material. Further
development in the system was included by adding the
smartphone application [15], where the system was apt
enough to approximately detect the heap of garbage present
within the input image. Thus, the possibilities and
requirements for a trash collection combined vessel to
include a pattern identifier to aid humans to make fast and
efficient decisions in waste sorting is noted.
III. METHODOLOGY OF WASTE COLLECTION
A boat/vessel structure powered using solar energy, with
the aim of zero emissions, can be improved by incorporating
a trash collection mechanism to collect the wastes on water.
A battery on the structure ensures that the trash collector
receives enough power to run. The solid wastes above the
water bodies are collected using a conveyor belt mechanism.
The conveyor belt will be placed in the front portion of the
1044
Authorized licensed use limited to: National University Fast. Downloaded on November 04,2022 at 05:34:56 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
andand
Intelligent Systems
Intelligent (ICCCIS)
Systems (ICCCIS)
structure, along with the sensors. PIR sensors are attached on
the front part of the structure to detect the solid waste and
pass the signal on to the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt
starts to work only when the signal is received. The belt runs
with the help of two DC motors. After the waste
classification, this mechanism can also be used for allocating
the classified waste to different locations. From there, the
waste is sorted to biodegradable and non-biodegradable using
Computer Vision and Convolutional Neural Network or
CNN.
IV. DEVELOPMENT OF TRASH COLLECTING
CONVEYOR BELT
The conveyor belt trash collecting prototype system
simulation model was formed and simulated in Proteus
Design Suite, using an Arduino UNO, two PIR sensors, an
AND gate, a motor controller, and two DC motors. The
simulation of the conveyor belt is shown in Fig. 1. The PIR
sensor detects the waste on the water body and sends a signal
to the Arduino UNO. The board then sends the signal to the
motor controller, which drives the two motors. The motor
drives in the belt towards the vessel. That is, the waste is
collected from the water through the half-submerged belt and
transported towards the vessel. The mechanism is developed
so that the signal from any of the sensors will lead to the
motors' working and driving the conveyor belt. From the
simulation model of the belt, shown in Fig. 1, the green LED
glowing indicates that the conveyor belt is running, while the
red LED signifies the vice versa. The movement of the
conveyor belt is signified from the clockwise movement of
the DC motors in the simulation. The waste, collected from
the water bodies, is moved to the classification area. It is
classified using the CNN then using this conveyor belt it is
also allocated into different boxes so that it can be carried out
easily to shores.
Fig. 1. The simulation of trash collecting conveyor belt mechanism
V. METHODOLOGY OF WASTE DETECTION AND
CLASSIFICATION USING CNN
2
 2021 International
2021 Conference
International onon
Conference Computing, Communication,
Computing,
Communication,
There are lots of advantages while using convolutional
neural networks for machine learning. So, CNN is selected as
an efficient technique for this work. Once the waste is
collected using the collection mechanism, then the primary
purpose of the study is to detect waste and classify them into
the biodegradable and non-biodegradable category. The
proposed CNN based waste detection and classification is
shown in the following section. The architecture of the study
comprised of the following processing steps:
1. Image collection: A pool of images of waste which
are biodegradable and non-biodegradable is taken
into the database.
2. Feature Extraction and Training: Feature extraction
is done by localizing the region in the waste image
and using them for CNN training.
3. CNN Model Prediction.
VI. ANALYSIS OF DATASET
This section talks about the technique implemented in this
work, to inculcate image processing and data classification.
To execute the training session of the classifier, it is essential
to extract the data from the regions of interest while dealing
with images. 600 images of biodegradable and non-
degradable are taken for making a model so that model can
work in utmost efficiency. Labelled and classified the images
into biodegradable and non-degradable using the
convolutional neural network and the data is forwarded to a
two layered neural network where the classification is done
on the basis of extracted features from the contour.
VII. DATA EXTRACTION AND DEFINING
CONTOUR
The outlines of the objects present in the image to be
processed, can be defined and extracted. One of the
procedures to accomplish this task, is to employ the technique
narrated in [17]. Where, for every individual element present
in the input image, the set of the points are evaluated around
image is less, the derived shape of the contour will in all
likelihood create some noises and disturbances. However, in
order to tackle this drawback, it is very much possible to put
in a technique called the polygonal approximation [18],
which will recursively eliminate the contour points, with their
distance from the mean contour curve, higher than the
absolute epsilon value. Hence, it is wise to choose the epsilon
parameter in such a way that the generated polygon does not
possess a shape too varying from the original contour, but yet
represents a slight simplification.
In this study, using computer vision, images are collected
directly from the camera to the database. Using OpenCV
tools, the images are pre-processed before making a model
out of it. The data collected is pre-processed and region of
interest (RIO) is defined with a size of 234*234 pixels. 200
1045
Authorized licensed use limited to: National University Fast. Downloaded on November 04,2022 at 05:34:56 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
andand
Intelligent Systems
Intelligent (ICCCIS)
Systems (ICCCIS)
ROI from 300 images of biodegradable and 200 ROI from
300 images of non-biodegradable is taken. This helps for the
building of a neural network [16].
VIII. CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL
NETWORKS FOR IMAGE CLASSIFICATION
Classification of objects can be easily performed using
Convolutional Neural Network by activating the neurons.
The activations are handled in the inner layer of the network,
and the result appears as a pattern in the output layer. A
simple perceptron is a network that has only a single layer.
However, the network is let alone proficient in solving
linearly separable problems. To solve non-linearly separable
problems, the essential way is to employ a multilayer
perceptron (MLP) neural network. It has an input layer, along
with several hidden layers, and an output layer. The weights
of the MLP is what determines the sufficiency of the network
to perform a task of classification. The weights of the
artificial synapses are adapted to a specific problem, to train
neural networks. However, for the purpose of training an
MLP, it is common to employ the back-propagation
algorithm. In the algorithm, the modification of the
connection weights present in the inner layers as error is
done, along with propagating it in the reverse direction, to
adapt the neural network to the resolution of the problem.
This research aims to create a system, which will
automatically classify waste and other items collected from
sea/water bodies by the vessel. Moreover, further, continue
the processes by picking and placing them in a destined
position, which will be done by the manipulator. For this task,
a convolutional neural network is employed for classifying it.
The filter can go over the input array by extracting the
necessary features that are there in the input layer and by
analyzing them independently. Further decreasing them
down to their essential characteristics. The task is iterated till
the reach of the end product. The building block of CNN
typically comprises a multilayer interconnectedness achieved
by a set of weights and biases that can be learned. Each and
independent layer are provided with tiny patches of the
processed input image. It is done by scanning throughout the
entire image. During the scanning, different characteristics of
features are captured at the local and global scale. The
obtained image patches are then generalized through an
alternative CNN. Alongwith pooling/subsampling the layers
within the CNN framework till the high-level features are
obtained. On the previously obtained result, a fully connected
classification is performed.
The incoming sub-topics will explain about the individual
CNN layers in the model with the mathematical equation
supporting that.
1. The two-dimensional Convolution Layer
3
 2021 International
2021 Conference
International onon
Conference Computing, Communication,
Computing, andand
Communication, Intelligent Systems
Intelligent (ICCCIS)
Systems (ICCCIS)

Matrix H = {h1, h2, h3, h4. hn}, H h×d non-biodegradable or biodegradable by introducing a drop
out of 0.5 in final layer will get more accurate answers. The
where d is the size of the word embeddings. It will extract
last layer has two outputs because of one for biodegradable
the features over the H convolutional operation. and the other for non-biodegradable.
2D filters were added; where m ×d, by designing a

The generated window of vectors is as follows:

: + 1, +d
Range of i:1 to + 1 and j:1 to d d+1
The above filter is applied to each convolutional layer.

2. The two-dimensional Max Pooling Layer

2D Max pooling is done for a fixed-length vector.

h R and the fixed length of 'h' is

h=[ + 1/ 1] [ d d+ 1/ 2] (1)

It is applied to each window in order to extract the maximum

value of that particular vector.

3. Output layer

For performing the classification of the given legal text, the

In Fig. 2, flowchart of the model for classifying waste is

shown. For the performed model, the input is of the size
234x234. It is convolved with the H kernels. The convolution
Fig. 2. Flowchart of the model for classifying waste.
of input with one kernel creates a single output feature. Each
H kernel independently produces the H features. IX. EXPERIMENT AND RESULT
Commencing from the top-left corner of the input, each
After extracting the features from the training set by CNN,
kernel is progressed from left to right, with a single element
the last step is to classify the images by activating the
at a particular time. Once the desired top-right corner is
classifier which has been created by the developed model.
accomplished, the kernel is moved by a single element in the
The classification accuracy of the model is improved by
downward direction, and then again, the kernel is progressed
adding more datasets so that more features can be extracted
from left to right, with a single element at a time. The above
by the CNN model. In this study, the incoming data, i.e., the
process is iterated prior to the kernel reaching the bottom-
test data is classified, or a decision is taken by comparing it
right corner of the input. There are 55 unique positions with previous images.
present from left to right of the input and finally at the end of
first CNN layer even after max pooling we will get a matrix The cross-validation is used to test the CNN model's
size of 27*27. But again, for extracting the feature we will effectiveness for classifying the waste from another item
put that matrix into one more CNN layer for more accuracy. prediction. The K fold validation (K=4) where the entire
testing data is divided into four parts. Each part is tested, and
Finally, it is followed by a flattening layer and it will be
its accuracy for this study is shown in table 1. At first the
converted in 1-D array for predicting weather the material is
model poses 400 images after pre-processing while using K-

4
1046

Authorized licensed use limited to: National University Fast. Downloaded on November 04,2022 at 05:34:56 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 2021 International
2021 Conference
International onon
Conference Computing, Communication,
Computing, andand
Communication, Intelligent Systems
Intelligent (ICCCIS)
Systems (ICCCIS)

Fold validation. When K= 1,100 images is tested and K = 2

next images is taken and this procedure goes on until K=4
then 400 images is tested. By selecting K as 4 models can be
tested in the most effective manner.
By Conducting this K fold validation our model can
classify the images with an accuracy of 90.03% as shown in
table 1. The accuracy curve is shown in Fig. 3 with 400
epochs with testing and training data 80% of the data is used
for training and 20% is for testing. The clustered data for the
classification is represented in Fig. 4. The clusters represent
segregated data.
TABLE I
Fig. 4. The classification of the waste
K-Fold Validation Folds Accuracy (%)
of the model
X. CONCLUSION AND FUTURE SCOPE
In this work, the trash collection mechanism simulation
Folds-1 89.98 model and its classification using Convolutional Neural
Network and Computer Vision is developed. This work can
Folds-2 89.45 thus minimize the human workload of collecting the
anthropogenic wastes, whilst contributing in saving our
planet from water pollution. On creating this model, an
Folds-3 90.5
accuracy of 90.03% for classifying the waste from water
bodies into biodegradable and non- biodegradable is
Folds-4 90.2 obtained. By increasing the data set, the accuracy can be
increased, and can be implemented in vessels. This work can
be further developed into a complete system that could be
Average 90.03
installed on shores, until the water bodies are clean of
hazardous solid wastes.
REFERENCES
[1]
Prototype Development of Portable Trash Collector Boat for Small

and Exploring Engineering, vol. 8, Issue-10, August 2019.

[2] Ketan H. Pakhmode, Ronit R. Dudhe, Gangadhar S. Waghmare,
Daniyal A. Kamble, Kriti Dhenge Powered Water Surface

Engineering and Technology, vol. 6, Issue-3, March 2019.

[3] V. Sruthy , Bibin Raj & P. K. Preetha (2020): An offshore floating
charging station for electric ships: accessibility enhancement schemes
for recharging, Ships and Offshore Structures, DOI:
10.1080/17445302.2020.1816748.
[4] V. Sruthy, B. Raj, P. K. Preetha and K. Ilango, "SPV based Floating
Charging Station with Hybrid Energy Storage," 2019 IEEE
International Conference on Intelligent Techniques in Control,
Optimization and Signal Processing (INCOS), Tamilnadu, India, 2019,
pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/INCOS45849.2019.8951366.
[5] M. Tiwari, V. Sruthy and P. K. Preetha, "Foldable Floating Solar Array
Fig. 3. The accuracy comparison in testing and prediction for Electric Vessel," 2020 Third International Conference on Smart
Systems and Inventive Technology (ICSSIT), Tirunelveli, India, 2020,
pp. 586-593, doi: 10.1109/ICSSIT48917.2020.9214218.
[6] J. Satheesh, A. P. Nair, D. M., C. A., G. Mahesh and P. R. Jayasree,
"Wireless Communication based Water Surface Cleaning Boat," 2020
4th International Conference on Trends in Electronics and Informatics
(ICOEI)(48184), Tirunelveli, India, 2020, pp. 716-720, doi:
10.1109/ICOEI48184.2020.9142960.
[7]
Clas
Classif. with Deep Convolutional Neural Networks, (2012) 1097
1105.

5
1047

Authorized licensed use limited to: National University Fast. Downloaded on November 04,2022 at 05:34:56 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 2021 International
2021 Conference
International onon
Conference Computing, Communication,
Computing, andand
Communication, Intelligent Systems
Intelligent (ICCCIS)
Systems (ICCCIS)

[8]
for large- - 14.
[9]

Comput. Vision ECCV 2014, 8689 (2014) 818-833.

[10]
(2013) 10-20.
[11] Y. L -based

2278-2323.
[12] --nt Liberation and classification
9) 295-301.
[13]

Proceedings of the IEEE Computer Society Conference on Computer

Vision and Pattern Recognition, (2010) 239-246.
[14] B. Batinic, S. Vukmirovic, G. Vujic, N. Stanisavljevic, D. Ubavin, and

characteristics in order to achieve specific waste management targets -

[15] G.

2016 - Proc. 2016 ACM Int. Jt. Conf. Pervasive Ubiquitous Comput.,
2016
[16] f digitized
Computer Vision, Graphics, and
Image Processing, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 32 46, 1985.View at: Publisher
Site | Google Scholar
[17] roximation of
Computer Graphics and Image Processing, vol. 1, no. 3,
pp. 244 256, 1972.View at: Google Scholar
[18] Poorna S.S, Sai Baba P.M.V., Lakshmi Ramya. G, Poreddy. P,
Aashritha. L.S, Nair. G.J and Renjith. S, Classification of EEG based
control using ANN and KNN-A comparison,2016 IEEE International
Conference on Computational Intelligence and Computing Research,
ICCIC 2016
[19] Krishna Kumar P. K, Ramesh Kumar, and Dr. K. I. Ramachandran,

condition monitoring using machine learning

Journal of Prognostics and Health Management, vol.9, no.8, pp. 2153-
2648, 2018.

6
1048

Authorized licensed use limited to: National University Fast. Downloaded on November 04,2022 at 05:34:56 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.