CASE SOLUTION

EMPOWERING SMART CITIES FOR ECONOMIC,

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

- A case study by Microsoft

Waste Management in

Smart Cities

TEAM – RADIOACTIVE, IIM ROHTAK

ne of the major

problem that we

are facing today is

related to solid

waste management in major

cities. Current systems in

India can’t cope up with the

waste generated by the

rapidly growing

population. Waste

generation depends on

factors like population

density, economic status,

level of commercial activity,

culture and the city. Various

statistics shows how crucial

this problem of waste

generation is. For example:

India generates 133760 tons

of solid waste per day but

only 25884 tons per day is treated, because of poor waste management infrastructure.

o

Waste Management

in India

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1911 1921 1931 1941 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011

Exp

on

enti

al G

row

th R

ate

(An

nu

al, %

)

Po

pu

lati

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(in

mill

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s)

Exhibit 1: Population Growth in India between 1911 to 2011 Source: Provisional Population Totals-India, 2011

Population Annual Exponential Growth Rate (%)

0.36

0.54

0.44

0.52

0.26

0.41

0.35

Exhibit 2: Per Capita Waste Generation Data (in Kg/Capita/Day) Source: Census of India 2011, CPCB Report 2011

Ahmedabad Hyderabad Bangalore Chennai

Kolkata Delhi Mumbai

“Mega City is a

Recent

Phenomenon. With

globalization of the

economy, many

people have

migrated to the

cities”

1

0 - 3841

3842-7682

7682-11522

11523-15363

15364-19604

SW generation (MT per day)

41%

40%

6%

4%

2%

2%4% 1%

Exhibit 4: Average (% by weight) composition of solid waste in Indian metro cities

Source: Shaarholy et.al (doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2007.02.008)

compostable inert paper plastic glass metals textile leather

Exhibit 3: State-level statistics of MSW generation

in India (2009–2012). Source: Central Pollution Control

Board, Govt. of India, 2012.Process

“UP, Maharashtra,

WB and

Tamilnadu are the

most affected

States”

“95% of the

compostable

waste is in the

wet form”

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The population in urban area is expected to increase 3

times by 2041 due to which the total solid waste

generated will increase by 20 times. After a deep

analysis, we have found out that waste segregation

and waste collection are the two most important part

of the waste management problem. Our approach to

solve this problem of waste management comprises of

3 steps: Waste Segregation, Waste Collection, and

Developing the Waste-Chain.

The plan is to implement a system that separates solid,

wet and metal waste. Due to an unplanned collection

of waste, there is an aggregation of different type of

waste materials which makes it difficult to segregate

the waste effectively to be recycled and processed for

reuse. The system that we propose is a flap based. The

equipment will effectively determine the type of waste

and based on the type of waste, drops the waste into

different compartments- one for each of the three

categories.

System: Waste is pushed through a flap into the

proposed system. An IR proximity sensor detects this

and starts the entire system. The waste then falls on

the metal detection system. This system is used to

detect metallic waste. After this, the object falls into

the capacitive sensing module. This module

distinguishes between wet and dry waste. After the

identification of waste, a circular base which holds

containers for dry, wet and metallic waste is rotated.

The collapsible flap is lowered once the container

corresponding to the type of garbage is positioned

under it. The waste falls into the container, and the

flap is raised. The waste in the containers now can be

collected separately and sent for further processing.

The design for the model can be found in exhibit 6 and

Exhibit 7

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2001 2011 2021 2031 2036 2041

Tota

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lid W

aste

Po

pu

lati

on

Exhibit 5: Predicted Population growth and Waste Generation (Urban India) Source: Amepu (See http:// swmindia.blogspot.in/)

Population (in millions) Total waste ('000 tonnes / year)

STEP 1: WASTE SEGREGATION DRIVE – SEGREGATION WHILE COLLECTION

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The entry point of our solution in the supply chain

would be in the garbage disposal vans. We suggest

that the vans be equipped with these apparatuses so

that they segregate waste at the collection point itself

which makes the segregation process at the plant

more effective, and hence the waste can be reused and

recycled.

1. Metal Detector

2. Metal Waste Bin

3. Capacitive Sensors

4. Wet Waste Bin

5. Dry Waste Bin

1. Magnets detect metal waste

2. Capacitive Censors Measure Moisture

3. If Moisture is more than threshold, then base rotates (using

hydraulic actuators) to wet bin

4. Segregation is done at the collection stage

itself

Exhibit 6: Flow Chart of the Segregation

Process

Exhibit 7: Truck equipped with segregation device

4

The basic problem here is that the officials collecting

the waste from the bins collect either too slow or too

fast. They sometimes collect the waste from the bin

either when the bin is almost empty or when waste is

overflowing on to the road.

To solve this problem, we will be using proximity

sensors that measure the level of garbage in the waste

bin. A proximity sensor is a device that is like the one

found on a smart phone. If there is an obstacle in front

of it, the device will send out a signal. The garbage

bins will have three such devices indicating the

amount of space the garbage has filled. One device

will be fixed at a height 40% of the height of the bin,

another at 60% of the height of the bin, and the third at

90% the height of the bin. With this, the garbage

collector can simply see the status of the bin on his

tablet-(Provided by the organization) and collect

waste from the full bins.

A unique code identifies the bins sent out by the

sensor based on the locality and bin number to the

tablet. We are guarding against theft by putting in a

failsafe into the sensor so that the device only works

on government networks. The bins will be planted

near an electric pole or transformer so that a small

power connection can be established to the bin to

power the sensor and the antenna – this can also be

achieved by planting solar panels on top of the electric

pole and connecting these panels to the sensors.

The location (latitude-longitude) of the waste bins and

toilets will be collected during installation and

garbage collection. The data along with the unique bin

code specified in the Waste Collection Optimization

will help in bin identification for the garbage collector.

Also, whenever a citizen is in search of a restroom or a

waste basket, he/she can simply search in Bing for

wastebaskets in the vicinity. This database with the

help of GPS will give the user the required waste

basket destination and hence, they can freely drop

their waste in the bin as any good citizen must do

instead of littering on the road or publicly urinating

on the walls.

STEP 2: WASTE COLLECTION OPTIMIZATION

90% Proximity Sensor

60% Proximity Sensor

40% Proximity Sensor

GPS

Exhibit 8: Dustbin with sensors

STEP 3: INTELLIGENT WASTE CHAIN

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Exhibit 9: Intelligent Waste Chain equipped with IOT

Exhibit 10: Interactive Dashboard with data analysis

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