The household waste tracking system will allow waste management services the ability to catalog the net weight of waste in a particular waste bin at the curbside during the typical residential trash truck pick up service. Simultaneously, the system will identify the type of bin, categorizing the type of waste (landfill, recycling, compost, etc.) and then tie that waste with a specific customer. This data will then be sent to a database where a company can relay, store, and convey that information as they see fit. Ideally, this system will have as little impact on the current trash collection process as possible, as to alleviate the waste-management service workers and household customer of any additional responsibilities.
The most basic design requirement of the system is simplicity. A system that is capable of generating and collecting this magnitude of data will need to have a very simple implementation, so that waste management service worker will need to acquire little to no more skills in order to use the system. If the system is too complex or cumbersome, it runs the risk of becoming unpopular and ultimately misused. To attain the maximum simplicity, the system will need to be automated. An automated system naturally lends its self to a microcontroller-based design. Additionally, to simplify the design, the system must not modify the existing waste management protocols and service technique. This also means that the system must retrofit to existing waste management infrastructure, i.e. trash trucks. Accordingly, the system must be either dependent on the truck as a power supply or power independent.
Figure 1 – Household waste tracking system retro fitted to truck
Next, data accuracy and bin identification fidelity are of the upmost importance, as to minimize the risk of incurring extra costs on the users of the system. If an inaccurate waste amount is recorded, the data collected the system will prevent waste-management services and local governments from providing the correct incentives for responsible wasting. Furthermore, if the identification of the bin is inaccurate or unidentifiable the waste-management service could end up loosing money and the ultimate purpose of the system is defeated as the data will not be of any use.
Additionally, once data and identification is collected the system must be able to relay or save the data in a way this is useful for the customer, waste-management service, and local government. This means that data cannot be lost, so it must either be transmitted from the device or stored so that it can be off located at a different time. The information gathered and transmitted by the system will also need to be displayed in a convenient way to provide the most use. Although the system will provide information that will help waste-management services optimize their routes, this will not be a function of the programming of the system and will be the responsibility of the management service.
Due to the logistical and financial restrictions of this project the system will need to be testing on a scaled model rather than a full sized trash truck. Accordingly, the system will need a few small modifications to fit the new project model. This means that the technique for weight measurement will need to be slightly modified form the full-scale implementation. Additionally, the power system of the prototype will need to be independent and most likely battery oriented.
