TrashBot: Utilization of Mobile Trash Cans to Address Solid Waste

Management Problems at Sampaguita High School

Proponents:

Balolo, Princess Casey S.

Lautrizo, Angel

Pontevedra, Kent Bon F.

January 2025

Introduction
 Improper waste disposal is one of the major problems on our planet. The

Philippines generates as much as 61,000 metric tons of solid waste daily (Risks

loom as worsening.2024).

These wastes have varied effects on our ecosystem but all lead our planet

to danger. Some of the outcomes of improper waste disposal include: pollution,

climate change, disease transmission, and ecosystem disruption (How Improper

Waste Disposal.2025).

One of the many reasons for improper waste disposal is people’s

misbehavior toward waste disposal (Improper Waste Disposal.2025). People tend

to litter because trash cans are scarce in their surroundings.

Background of the Study

 Waste segregation is one of the problems that hinders human capability

to address waste problems worldwide—garbage cannot be repurposed without

being first segregated. Waste segregation refers to the process of classifying,

dividing, and sorting garbage and waste products in order to reduce, reuse, and

recycle materials (Waste Segregation, 2020). Wastes that are not sorted and

disposed of properly are said to find their way into landmasses, poisoning soil

contents that are harmful for plants and animals, and into bodies of water,

releasing toxic compounds harmful to aquatic ecosystems (How Improper Waste

Disposal, 2021). Globally, humans produce 2.01 billion tonnes of solid waste

annually, with ⅓ of it being managed and disposed of properly (World Bank as

cited in The Importance of Waste Segregation, 2023).

In line with this, Republic Act 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste

Management Act of 2000, was implemented in order to address rampant waste

mismanagement problems in the Philippines. This law ordered the facilitation of

Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in order to address improper disposal of

garbage into landfills. But reports revealed that only 11,637 MRFs are

operational, and the service only covers 39.05% of the barangays in the country,

rendering a 190 million metric tonnes of solid waste production by the year 2030

(L. Panti, 2023).

Moreover, in order to follow RA 9003, the Department of Education

(DepEd) released the DepEd Order No. 5 s. 2014. On 2.2.2, the DepEd
encouraged every school to practice solid waste management principles in order

to encourage students for environmental participation. And so, an innovation by

the researchers is proposed to further adhere to the DepEd, the utilization of

“TrashBot” in Sampaguita High School to address the local problems in waste

management.

Beneficiaries

If the study conducted about efficient waste disposal at the school (Sampaguita High

School) was a success, it would benefit a large scale of residents namely:

 Learners and teachers – In this prototype, teachers and learners would be able

to access a trash bin more easily and efficiently.

Utility Staffs – Having the need to frequently empty multiple trashes eliminated,

it decreases physically demanding utility works.

Filipino households - With this innovation, people will find this invention a

must-have inside their house due to the ease of usage that it brings.

Community - If the study is later improved, the people in the community will

profit from the prototype.

Future Researcher - Other researchers may use the findings in this study as a

reference to future studies and can be used in related literature.

Proposed Solution to the Problem Presented

In order to combat waste segregation problems at Sampaguita High

School, the researchers propose the utilisation of. This prototype offers a solution
that both solves the problem and offers reachability for its future users. With

this prototype, the students, teachers, and other stakeholders of Sampaguita

High School would have the ease to segregate their trash automatically.

Furthermore, this setup also allows the users to diminish exhaustion by

eliminating the need for them to physically go and reach the trash cans.

Furthermore, this setup offers minimal user interface. The users of this

setup do not need any specialised knowledge to make the setup functional. This

setup functions the same way as any traditional trash can would, with the

exceptions that it completely eliminates the need for user input in segregation

and physically going to the trash can. Because of the capability of the prototype

to be mobile around the school grounds, it also eliminates the need to put several

trash cans to cater to the trash disposal needs of all the people in the school.

Moreover, due to it being mobile, the prototype would have the ability to do

frequent disposals every time that it makes a lap around the school. Unlike a

traditional trash can that needs to be emptied once it is full, this prototype is

practically is empty for whenever it is used.

To sum up, this prototype offers innovation and solutons to address the

problem of solid waste management at Sampaguita High School. One, it

automatically segregates trash; second, it offers great reachability as this

prototype is mobile, eliminating the need for physical exhaustion to reach it;

third, it is user-friendly as it practically works the same as any trash can would;

lastly, it eliminates the need for utility staff to empty all trash cans on the school

grounds as this trash can has the ability to do automatic waste disposal.
 Methodology and Costing

To show the feasibility of the prototype, hereunder are the costing and

methodology.

a. Start by preparing the materials needed to make the prototype. Cut a

circular shape on the lead of the trash bin.

b. Install the cliff sensor on the bottom of the bin and obstacles sensor on

the sides

c. Attach the track wheels under the bin.

d. Add the plastic tube to the hole of the trash bin.

e. Add a sheet of plastic under the hole of the tube to stop the garbage.

f. Solder in the ultrasonic sensor right above where the waste stops
 g. Prepare the plastic sheets and cut it to fit the waste bin creating 6 sectors

in the bin for each type of waste.

h. In the middle of the bin, add a hole to insert the rotating motor and wire

it to the ultrasonic sensor

i. Cut a triangle shape to the lid of the waste bin in accordance to the shape

of the sectors made.

j. Add then the metal rod into the lid and stabilize it to the wall of the trash

bin.

Table 1. Cost-estimate of a TrashBot prototype

Materials Unit Price per unit Quantity Amount

Trash Bin Piece Php 350.00 1 Php 350.00
Cliff Sensor Piece Php 252.00 1 Php 252.00
Obstacle Piece Php 30.00 2 Php 60.00
Sensor
Ultrasonic Piece Php 49.00 1 Php 49.00
Sensor
Plastic Tubes Centimeter Php 1.50 92 Php 138.00
Waste Bin Piece Php 161.00 1 Php 161.00
(Clear)
Transparent Piece Php 22.00 3 Php 66.00
Plastic Sheet
Rotating Motor Piece Php 36.00 1 Php 36.00
Track Wheels Piece Php 616.00 1 Php 616.00
Metal Rod Piece Php 183.00 1 Php 183.00
Total Php 1,911
Source: Prices depend on the online shops, e.g. tiktok shop, shopee, and lazada.

Illustration
 Illus 1. A visual representation of a TrashBot prototype

Analysis

Due to the advantages that TrashBots have over any traditional trash can,

the researchers recommend the utilization of the setup practically in any setting

aside from school grounds. It offers great advantages that combats great

problems not only on the local, but also on a global scale. Therefore, the

researchers recommend on using bigger waste bin for wider storage on a larger

setup.
References

How Improper Waste Disposal Affects the Environment, 2021,

CLEAN MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL, INC.

https://cleanmanagement.com/blog/how-improper-waste-disposal-

affects-the-environment/

L. Panti, 2023, GMA News, COA: Increasing PH solid waste

production to hit 19 million metric tons by 2030

Waste Segregation: All you need to Know, 2020, greeensutra.in,

https://greensutra.in/waste-segregation-all-you-need-to-know/

World Bank, as cited in The Importance of Waste Segregation, 2023,

axil-is