Inspired by a campus seminar, a Civil Engineering student has developed a low-cost, sensor-based prototype that separates plastic from non-plastic waste.

RAJSHAHI — A Civil Engineering student at Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology (RUET) has developed a working prototype of a sensor-based smart waste bin — a direct research outcome of the university’s Seminar on Smart Waste Bin Management.

The prototype automatically sorts waste into separate Plastic (P) and Non-Plastic (NP) compartments. An infrared sensor detects the item and a servo-actuated sorting flap directs it to the correct side, offering a low-cost proof of concept for automated waste segregation.

Source segregation is one of the hardest parts of waste management to get right, because it depends on every user making the correct choice at the bin. Automating that step could improve the quality of recyclable plastic collected on campus.

The prototype is intended as a foundation for further research and eventual scaling into a campus-deployable smart-bin system, building on the fill-level monitoring and real-time data concepts introduced in the seminar. Moving the bin from prototype to permanent campus infrastructure is part of RUET’s long-term SDG 12 vision.

SDG Alignment: SDG 12 (primary); SDG 9; SDG 4.