Design and Development of an IoT-Based Smart Waste Sorter for Organic and Inorganic Waste Segregation at STMIK Kaputama

Abstract

The waste management system at the STMIK Kaputama campus is currently still conventional, where the academic community frequently disposes of waste without separating organic and inorganic types. This triggers accumulation, unpleasant odors, and complicates the recycling process. Furthermore, janitorial staff must inspect each bin periodically without knowing its actual capacity, leading to time inefficiency. To address these issues, this study aims to design and construct an Internet of Things (IoT)-based prototype named Smart Waste Sorter. This system utilizes the ESP32 microcontroller as the central processing unit equipped with an integrated Wi-Fi module. Waste material segregation is carried out automatically using a combination of an inductive proximity sensor to detect metallic elements (inorganic) and a capacitive sensor to detect non-metallic materials (organic). Once the waste type is identified, a servo motor acts as an actuator to direct the sorting arm to the appropriate container. Meanwhile, the bin fullness level is monitored using the HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor. The capacity data is transmitted in real-time to the Blynk or Telegram platform as a remote notification for the staff. The results indicate that this prototype successfully sorts organic and inorganic waste automatically with precision and enhances the efficiency of domestic waste management monitoring within the STMIK Kaputama environment.