Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Computer Engineering, College of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Ha'il, Ha'il 81481, Saudi Arabia
  • 2 School of Computer Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang 11800, Malaysia
  • 3 Department of Information and Computer Science, College of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Ha'il, Ha'il 81481, Saudi Arabia
  • 4 Computer Science/Network Department, Faculty of Information Technology, Al-Isra University, Amman 11622, Jordan
Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022 Oct 11;19(20).
PMID: 36293647 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192013066

Abstract

Urban areas worldwide are in the race to become smarter, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is no exception. Many of these have envisaged a chance to establish devoted municipal access networks to assist all kinds of city administration and preserve services needing data connectivity. Organizations unanimously concentrate on sustainability issues with key features of general trends, particularly the combination of the 3Rs (reduce waste, reuse and recycle resources). This paper demonstrates how the incorporation of the Internet of Things (IoT) with data access networks, geographic information systems and combinatorial optimization can contribute to enhancing cities' administration systems. A waste-gathering approach based on supplying smart bins is introduced by using an IoT prototype embedded with sensors, which can read and convey bin volume data over the Internet. However, from another perspective, the population and residents' attitudes directly affect the control of the waste management system. The conventional waste collection system does not cover all areas in the city. It works based on a planned scheme that is implemented by the authorized organization focused on specific popular and formal areas. The conventional system cannot observe a real-time update of the bin status to recognize whether the waste level condition is 'full,' 'not full,' or 'empty.' This paper uses IoT in the container and trucks that secure the overflow and separation of waste. Waste source locations and population density influence the volume of waste generation, especially waste food, as it has the highest amount of waste generation. The open public area and the small space location problems are solved by proposing different truck sizes based on the waste type. Each container is used for one type of waste, such as food, plastic and others, and uses the optimization algorithm to calculate and find the optimal route toward the full waste container. In this work, the situations in KSA are evaluated, and relevant aspects are explored. Issues relating to the sustainability of organic waste management are conceptually analyzed. A genetic-based optimization algorithm for waste collection transportation enhances the performance of waste-gathering truck management. The selected routes based on the volume status and free spaces of the smart bins are the most effective through those obtainable towards the urgent smart bin targets. The proposed system outperforms other systems by reducing the number of locations and smart bins that have to be visited by 46% for all waste types, whereas the conventional and existing systems have to visit all locations every day, resulting in high cost and consumption time.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.