IIT Madras start-up develops smart dustbin system to avoid COVID-19 spread

An IIT-incubated start-up has developed a 'smart bin system' to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through waste made at hospitals, clinics, public places and quarantine zones.

Called 'AirBin', the machine produced by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras permits remote monitoring of waste accumulation levels through smart phone. The system could be retrofitted to existing garbage bins on nearby poles, walls or the bin lids.

According to start-up "Antariksh", the digital waste management system can generate alerts to sanitation teams at regular intervals on fill levels and on-demand clearance requests from end-users for faster disposal of contagious waste.

"While we are working with the spread of COVID-19, hazardous waste has been produced in hospitals, quarantine zones or red zone areas within cities. They are potential sources of coronavirus and can cause further spread within the locality. This makes timely clean-up of bins essential along with other guidelines for disinfection to avoid further spread of COVID-19," said Mahek Mahendra Shah, a Mechanical Engineering graduate from the institute.

"The objective is to greatly help rural and urban local bodies clear every bin before it overflows and accelerate sustainability. The merchandise is likely to hit market in five months. We will supply first 200 AirBin devices across India in next couple of months with long-term plans to provide 1,00,000 units for 100 Smart Cities in India," he added.

The team claims that only 28 % of the waste produced in India is recycled and various studies found that the waste made in the united states was doubling every five years.