Young Karnataka techies make sensor-enabled dustbins to check overflowing garbage

Agencies
October 2, 2019

Kalaburagi, Oct 2: In a bid to keep our environment clean, two engineering students of Central University of Karnataka have made a smart garbage monitoring system, in form of a sensor-enabled dust bin which will send a message to authorities if the garbage bin has not been cleaned for long.

Sneha and Adwaith, students of electric engineering worked on this project for more than a year, while focusing on the problem of overflowing dustbins. The system helps in determining the level of garbage in the dustbin and alerts authorities for immediate action.

Sharing her experience, Sneha on Wednesday said, "We both noticed that the dustbins are not being cleaned on time, hence leading them to overflow and garbage being spilt everywhere. The authorities could not keep a track of it. Just providing bins is not enough. After a lot of research, we came with this idea of smart garbage bin. It took us a lot of time to complete because we understood all the components first."

Elaborating further on her model and its working, she added, "The cost of this dustbin in the market will be between Rs 500 to Rs 1000, depending upon size. We have used some sensors which will send a message to the authorities and the GPS module has been used to help the authorities locate the bin. The cleanliness worker will receive a message of garbage level at regular interval and if the dust bin is not cleared within 40 minutes, the message will be sent to higher authorities".

Assistant professor of the electric engineer department said, "Students got this idea by visiting different garbage sites and which made them realise that there is some serious problems in maintaining the garbage. They started this project in the month of October 2018 and finished it in March 2019."

"This system will detect the level of garbage and accordingly it will send a text message to the concerned worker. This will make them clean the dustbin on time. These messages will even go to the high authorities if there is any negligence," he added.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: In a decisive move to tackle the city’s deteriorating sanitation infrastructure, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has announced a massive ₹1,200 crore action plan to overhaul its underground drainage (UGD) network.

The initiative, spearheaded by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV, aims to bridge "missing links" in the current system that have left residents grappling with overflowing sewage and environmental hazards.

The Breaking Point

The announcement follows a high-intensity phone-in session on Thursday, where the DC was flooded with grievances from frustrated citizens. Residents, including Savithri from Yekkur, described a harrowing reality: raw sewage from apartments leaking into stormwater drains, creating a "permanent stink" and turning residential zones into mosquito breeding grounds.

"We are facing immense difficulties due to the stench and the health risks. Local officials have remained silent until now," one resident reported during the session.

The Strategy: A Six-Year Vision

DC Darshan HV confirmed that the proposed plan is not a temporary patch but a comprehensive six-year roadmap designed to accommodate Mangaluru’s projected population growth. Key highlights of the plan include:

•    Infrastructure Expansion: Laying additional pipelines to connect older neighborhoods to the main grid.

•    STP Crackdown: Stricter enforcement of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) regulations. While new apartments are required to have functional STPs, many older buildings lack them entirely, and several newer units are reportedly non-functional.

•    Budgetary Push: The plan has already been discussed with the district in-charge minister and the Secretary of the Urban Development Department. It is slated for formal presentation in the upcoming state budget.

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