Garbage Zero (Garb0): An IoT Framework for Effective Garbage Management in Smart Cities

Today, there is a significant trend of blending optimized waste management strategies with low power, low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. This paper discusses and investigates Garbage Zero (Garb0), an indigenous product developed for outdoor garbage bins. Garb0 aims at developing a power efficient IoT based real-time solid waste monitoring solution that helps cities to optimize their waste collection and maintain clean and green environment. The Garb0 sensor module can be installed within public garbage bins to provide real time fill level data. The related information regarding the current fill level of the garbage bin will be transmitted to a cloud using the Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) based Long Range (LoRa) technology [1][2], which will be further processed and forwarded to garbage collector's mobile application and to the municipal dashboard for updating the status. Optimized schedule and route for collecting the garbage from the garbage bins will be generated on the garbage collector's app and accordingly directs the driver to follow the most efficient route. The main focus of this paper is on the hardware and software architecture implemented to achieve low cost, low power consumption and long battery life.