Hi all,

I am a noob, that would like to make a project and some guidance, tips would be very appreciated.

The project - Create a smart waste bin that detects the volume of garbage inside of the bin.

Challenge: I have found a couple of already made projects however none of those projects fulfill my intentions. I would like to have a smart waste bin monitor working based on the following:

- Arduino or Raspberry Pi
- wireless
-Able to receive the data into a very simple Dashboard that could show the real status of the bin volume and send email with status / report of the bins.
- If possible would like to have severeal bins monitored
- Powered by batteries that would be recharged by small solar panel

Below you will find 2 projects that I have found that if combined together would be close to do what I intend to build.

- https://www.instructables.com/id/Smart-Garbage-Monitoring-System-Using-Internet-of-/

- https://create.arduino.cc/projecthu...bin-e70fb1?ref=search&ref_id=garbage&offset=7

Conclusion: Do you believe this is not reachable for a noob? Any help, tip or advise would be very appreciated.

Thank you

 

Neat idea for places with multiple bins.
I would say it will be very hard for a noob to make it work by showing up on a display but there may be easier ways to achieve it by dropping the display and replacing it with led indicators. I'm a bit of a rookie at this myself so I may be off but the basics I foresee you needing:
Build the detection system for the bins, Set it up on a wireless system and then a main board to process the information to display it.

I would think for the bins you would need both a weight limit sensor and something for fill level.

 

Simplify. Use weight. Fill the bin with every combination of stuff you can think off that it might hold, and weigh it so you know the approximate weight range. Monitor weight using a transducer. Everything else get s a lot more complicated and is likely beyond your scope for several years yet.

 

Everything else get s a lot more complicated and is likely beyond your scope for several years yet.

I don't know about that. Seems to me there are plenty of simple things that could cover the fill level easy enough. Wouldn't be my first choice but you could even use something as simple as a switch similar to what a ice maker uses. I think fill is actually more important then weight but I would want both still. It is the best way to learn for me, have something you want to achieve first, then build it one step at a time learning as you go.

Here is something already made:
https://ecovisionenvironmental.com/product/clean-cap-ultrasonic-fill-level-sensors/

 

Ultrasonic, optical range finders and scales will all work.

But... the problem is more complex than that: A "full" garbage can be a load of small dense stuff or a huge pile of loose, fluffy stuff.

Place a single empty box into the bin, the ranger will read "Full" - but from a real-world point of view, it's not really full.
To arrive at a meaningful result, you will need to layer-in a bunch of technology that all adds cost and complexity.

Cost-benefit analysis...

 

Hi all,

Thank you for all the inputs up to now.

I tought the use of a Ultrasonic sensor would be a litle more reachible to me.
The project idea is to apply at my work, and we have only 4 types of debris, small items (1 type heavy like 10cm lenght can have 500g).

The issue is that we can only fill our bins like this (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71nmoCGR7aL._SY606_.jpg) up to half, otherwise will be to heavy. At this point our only solution would be to go there phisicaly and check them.

My goal would be to have an Ultrasonic Sensor and a Arduino / Raspberry that could last at least 30 days in terms of power, and provide email warning, or collect the info into a system like Sigfox (below link) but the projects that I show at my first project are missing something. The perfect solution would be a mix of the 2. I am noob, but I have already replicate some projects, I just like electronics, mailnly IOT and like to do the things by myself.

(https://hackster.imgix.net/uploads/...png?auto=compress,format&w=1280&h=960&fit=max).

Here is something already made:
https://ecovisionenvironmental.com/product/clean-cap-ultrasonic-fill-level-sensors/

Thank you for your swift reply and recomendation.
This is actually all the idea I intend to, but I was looking to have a more Low cost solution.
Of course I do not need all the detailed info, or temperature or humidity, basicaly the volume of garbage inside.

Simplify. Use weight. Fill the bin with every combination of stuff you can think off that it might hold, and weigh it so you know the approximate weight range. Monitor weight using a transducer. Everything else get s a lot more complicated and is likely beyond your scope for several years yet.

This is actually my second project... Using weight to scale to count items at my work. We have certain small items in large quantities and would be great to count them automatically based on weight. There is already a very neat project, the only thing missing in there is to have a small button for the calibration. https://www.hackster.io/TinamousSteve/really-smart-box-a3fba8

Thank you for all the assistance up to now. Any more ideas are more than welcome.