SmartTM: An IoT-Based Smart Trash Management System

The rapid expansion of the global population, along with advancements in modern technology brings many benefits such as convenient living, but it also exacerbates the issue of waste management, a growing environmental concern. As the amount of solid waste increases, it places additional strain on the waste management system and infrastructure. Especially in some healthcare circumstances, trash bins overflow are mismanaged and hazardous waste spreads around the area. This can cause injury, illness or even death to people and animals that are exposed. Addressing the above challenges, this paper introduces a smart waste management system for urban environments, utilize technology to optimize garbage handling. Sensors inside trash bins relay data to a central processing unit, which then can be used to analyze for further important information. Additionally, the system also contains a web application to present collected data, assist managers and staff to monitor trash bin statuses by time, facilitating more informed decision-making. Overall, the SmartTM system allows data-driven collection scheduling, thus eliminating unnecessary trips to empty bins, and disposing of full-filled bins on time. It results in fuel savings, and ensures environmental cleanliness by preventing overflow of normal waste, solid waste or hazardous waste. Also, the novelty of the project is the absence of a GPS module, which makes the device more portable and minimizes power consumption. This paper assembled three different hardware prototypes, including investigation reports of battery lifetime and LoRa distance testing of the end node and a web application for data visualization.