Internet of Things enabled Smart Dustbins using Capacitated Vehicle Routing

Abstract

One of the main concerns of present day is pollution, and solid waste has contributed to most of it. Improper solid waste management impacts the health and environment of our society. The designed system proposes a solution for efficient waste detection, monitoring, and management using Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud storage. The proposed smart waste management system helps prevent garbage overflow from the dustbin through real-time monitoring of garbage levels in the trash cans. The presence of foul odor is also sensed, which alerts the timely disposal of wastes. The data is used to optimize waste collection routes which ultimately reduces fuel consumption. An ultrasonic sensor is used to identify the level of trash in the bin. A gas sensor is used to detect toxic or explosive gases and measure the concentration. The real-time data is transmitted to cloud storage. The server connects to the cloud storage and estimates the route of garbage collection using Capacitated Vehicle Routing (CVR) algorithm. The server is hosted on flask and the application built connects to the same to get the map plotted for each driver. The Vehicle Routing (VR) algorithm was inappropriate as the vehicles were assigned without considering the capacity constraint. Hence, Capacitated Vehicle Routing proved to be a better option. Pick up schedule for each day is updated to the trash collectors based on the real-time data. It allows trash collectors to plan their daily/weekly pick-up schedule. Compared to the existing system, there is a reduction in the number of vehicles used.