During my job at 100%FAT, I developed a smart waste bin for the municipality of Almelo, which aims at reducing litter around underground waste bins.

The problem that this project aims to solve is the fact that people put their waste next to the underground waste bins, instead of trowing it in, which causes litter and costs the municipality more man hours to clean.

The solution is a durable, aluminium ring that wraps around the waste bin. The ring has various sensors which can detect when trash is placed next to the bin. Furthermore, it has LED strips and a speaker for feedback.

When placing trash next to the bin, the ring will make an alarm sound and ask the litterer to put their trash in the bin. During the evening/night, the sound is swapped for LED visual feedback to not keep the neighborhood awake.

The conceptualization, electronics and programming have all been done by me. Only the external housing of the ring has been made by another person in the company. The ring lasts for longer than a week on a single power bank, which can be easily swapped out for a fresh one.

Below there are various news articles(with videos) that covered this innovative solution.

https://www.tubantia.nl/almelo/durf-hier-in-almelo-maar-eens-rotzooi-te-dumpen-dan-merk-je-dat-direct~a8e7e7ca/

https://www.rtvoost.nl/nieuws/332434/Het-heterdaadje-detector-moet-afvaldump-in-Almelo-tegengaan

https://indebuurt.nl/almelo/gemeente/afvaldumpers-in-almelo-voortaan-op-heterdaad-betrapt~71095/