SB High School Seniors Create Smart-Bin to Tackle Recycling Issues

Addressing Waste Mismanagement in Schools and Small Businesses

Faced with the reality that many schools and small businesses lack proper waste separation systems—often providing only one trash bin in each room—South Brunswick High seniors Aditya Prabhu and Vivaan Shah set out to solve this problem. Their invention, the Smart-Bin, was created to help eliminate the confusion over where to dispose of trash and recyclables, reducing the risk of contamination that burdens recycling facilities.

“Every day, students and employees are forced to throw recyclable items like paper and plastic into the same bin as food waste,” says Vivaan. “This leads to waste contamination, which makes recycling inefficient and costly. We wanted to create a solution that tackles this problem at the source.”

A Smart and Simple Solution

The Smart-Bin is an attachment for a standard trash can that uses a convolution neural network(CNN) to identify and sort waste. Powered by a Raspberry Pi, a camera scans each item and feeds it into the CNN to classify it as recyclable or organic. The system then directs a motorized flap to sort the waste accordingly. This automation reduces the chances of human error and contamination, making recycling easier and more efficient for schools, offices, and small businesses.

Open Source Collaboration and Community Involvement

While the Smart-Bin is still in its early stages, Aditya and Vivaan have bigger plans. With the help of the NJIT Robotics Club, they 3D-printed parts for their prototype, but due to limited resources, they haven’t yet been able to fully manufacture a cheaper and more accessible model. To further the project, they’ve made their CAD design files and source code available to the public through an open-source repository, encouraging collaboration.

“We believe that sharing our technology openly will inspire others to contribute to the cause,” says Aditya. “By working together, we can improve the Smart-Bin and make waste sorting accessible to more people.”

Empowering Change for the Future

Aditya and Vivaan’s vision goes beyond just improving recycling systems. They hope the Smart-Bin will raise awareness about proper waste disposal and inspire schools, businesses, and individuals to take action in reducing their environmental impact.

To learn more about the Smart-Bin project or access their open-source repository, visit the Smart-Bin website.
For any further inquiries, Aditya and Vivaan can be contacted at adityabourbon@gmail.com or svivaan101@gmail.com.