Smart waste management systems and smart bins for the effect

Plastic littering, improper plastic disposal, and municipal waste disposal is a massive problem in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Social norms, a lack of environmental education and legislation, a lack of critical infrastructure have all led to waste collection delays by related management institutions that have contributed to the negative behavior and response of the nation’s population to improper plastic waste disposal. There is an estimated 1.8 trillion metric tons of plastic waste littering the world, with 238 tonnes littered in 2015 and 10 million tonnes of plastic waste already in our oceans (Mosbergen, 2016).  Plastic littering contributes up to 95%  of the problem, affecting first- and third-world nations, with Asia and Africa, being the most affected (Schmidt, 2012). World Bank and International Institute for Environment and Development studies show that developing countries spend 20–50% of their annual budgets on plastic and municipal solid waste collection. That is 50% of their fiscal and economic budgets, clearly a burden. Global plastic disposal was estimated at 368 metric tonnes in 2020, a decline from the early Covid-19 pandemic surge in 2020 due to the high demand for PPE medical protection wear during the Covid-19 Pandemic (Tiseo, 2021). Over 6.3 billion tonnes of PPE have already been produced over the past 71 years,  with only 15%  recycled and only 9% responding to circular recycling. Estimates show that 865 tons of plastic and other municipal waste is generated daily in Sierra Leone and 314,955 tons per year in the nation's capital (Freetown City Council, 2020). Open burning in landfills is seen as the only feasible option chosen by the country's waste management system to get rid of and solve its plastic and municipal waste problem.  The absence of any form of smart waste management monitoring and recycling infrastructure exacerbates the problem. Most of the plastic bottles and bags are discarded into drains, where they clog waterways and city drainage, leading to flooding. At the same time, some are related to human tagged  accidents, such as slipping on the floor as a result of soaked plastic sheeting, etc. 

My solution is a  smart waste management response in the form of a smart waste bin. This bin is  installed with sensors, an RF frequency GSM and GPRS module, and an Evive monitoring machine. The sensor senses and automatically opens the bin when someone disposes of their waste while the device programmer monitors and reports the level of waste in the bin. At the same time, the GSM and GPRS modules will send the message and location of the bin when it is full for effective waste collection.  

Link of the solution demo

Video Demo LINK

My solution targets both middle-income and wealthy Sierra Leoneans. My first solution targets wealthy and middle-income Sierra Leoneans, and that is my smart waste management bin system. This cohort of people generally knows the value of my solution and how they could use it well. They will appreciate the solution because it solves their overflowing waste bin issues caused by delays in waste collection by waste management companies. They will also be able to pay for waste collection and recycling services. On the other hand, my final solution product will target Sierra Leoneans of lower income brackets who cannot afford standard home designs. According to (The Centre for Affordable Housing Finance, 2021) report, 94% of residential homes in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, have no access to proper household utilities. Twenty-four percent of homes in Freetown are corrugated zinc houses, and 13% are mud-built. 66.6% of people live in one or two-room houses. 43.6% of the household population have 5-7 members in a single small house which is meant for an average of just 3-4 people. 1 in 5 residents in Freetown sleep in a single room containing 7-10 people. This is due to skyrocketing home mortgage lending rates of  18% in 2022.  The absence of mortgage systems to citizens in the country because of dishonest practices (Home Leones, 2021) has resulted in overcrowding and poor housing. Housing utility costs are over 112.45% as of 2022 (Trading Economics, 2022). Freetown requires 280,000 standard homes by the year 2028. This means 19,000 homes should be built annually to fulfill the massive appetite of people residing in the capital and in sub-standard homes.  My second solution targets middle-income Sierra Leoneans. I intend to use plastic and municipal waste and recycle it into eco-bricks for affordable housing. This new alternative of making construction building materials with plastic waste will act as a substitute for cement used to currently build all homes, which is expensive for most people. Constructing homes from plastic waste is more durable and cost-effective than cement. Using plastic bricks will increase the number of standard homes, and selling them at an affordable price will increase homeownership for middle-income earners in Sierra Leone. They are the ones who are unable to afford a standard house due to the high mortgage rates. 

My team and I are well-suited to deliver the solution. There is a popular phrase -” Youth are the future generation.” I believe we are the changemakers of society today. My team and I come from underserved communities where housing and natural disaster challenges are the order of the day. This has prompted us to engage with local communities to discuss the problem, brainstorm possible ideas pertaining to the problem, and try to implant feasible alternative solutions to solve both waste management and housing issues.  

My solution prior to the pitching video and demo I have provided has provided to be a real prototype solution. If given the necessary support, it will scale up into a feasible and reality running business venture. 

Currently, my solution has not served any users. I just completed the prototype stage, constructing and testing the products to see its viability. In my opinion, it certainly met the requirements that I was expecting. I am hoping to get some help and funding to replicate the products and test them with users to see if they meet and are suited to their requirements. I had to use the limited resources I had to complete the prototype and testing phases. If given the support and resources, I can move my project to the pilot phase, which would include organizational testing of the product with a small number of users and eventually setting up a business.    I am optimistic that this solution, in its middle stage, will serve thousands of Sierra Leoneans currently living in substandard homes prone to natural disasters to have affordable homes. 

I am applying to Solve 2023 because I believe Solve will be able to connect me with the right partners to coach me on overcoming my limitations in starting a business venture with limited access to related best practices of partners attempting similar waste disposal and housing options. Solve will help clarify “How I could run a successful business? What are the different marketing and partnership strategies in the global market, and provide knowledge on how best to sell my business concept to potential customers? It would be in a position to prompt me on the potential challenges I may encounter in running such a business. What is the economic viability and downturn of such a business in Sierra Leone's current economic climate? Another reason is that I strongly believe that the level of support and mentorship Solve will provide will help me to cut down on the redundant issues visible in my project.  Lastly, I am applying because I believe the Solve team will connect me with mentors who can help me outline a feasible roadmap for my business implementation and expansion plan.     

My solution is innovative because it uses IoT Internet of Things technology, known as smart waste management system, in the form of a smart waste bin, which is used for effective waste monitoring, collection, and recycling of these materials into construction materials, such as eco-bricks that will be used to solve housing challenges in Freetown, the capital city. This solution will solve the problem of overflowing waste bins caused by irregularities in waste monitoring and collection by waste management due to the large geographic area of waste collection that waste management has to cover over time. This solution will benefit Sierra Leoneans following years of overflowing bins and unconventional waste disposal approaches. Recycling waste into building materials will solve the country's current housing problems, meet the challenges of building 280,000 homes, and create affordable housing for Freetonians.  This is the first time in the history of Sierra Leone that a socio-entrepreneur or company has utilized a smart waste management system, smart waste bins, and plastic bricks to enhance the country's waste management problem and solve the housing crisis. Such a concept has not been used in the country before.  

My first impact goal will be licensing the project's intellectual property, which will be the first and most important step in preserving the project's ideas and concepts from intellectual property theft. Secondly will be the execution and establishment of the project in the country, which has  to do with the construction of the recycling facility, where all the machinery and equipment will be stored and operated. Thirdly will be the importation of the machinery needed for the project's operation, including setting up the IT command post in charge of running the company's smart waste management system and the electronic gadgets that will be used to document the company's project to the general public. Fourthly will be the engagement with both public and private entities in the country, such as government institutions, NGOs, and private school restaurants, which will include explaining the company's goal to these entities and the services and products it will offer. The fifth step will be creating the company’s website and documentation and advertising the company’s services and products to the general public and potential investors. The sixth step is signing a business memorandum of partnership with various stakeholders as sole customers of the company.  The seventh step will be the sale of smart waste bins to various stakeholders, such as households, industrial complexes, government institutions, private schools, private offices, NGOs, and real estate companies, and then the waste collection and payment from these stakeholders for their waste collection and the recycling of the waste into eco-bricks. The eighth will be the utilization of the eco-bricks by the company to build affordable homes for potential home buyers in Freetown. The ninth step will be the sale of the eco-bricks to customers such as independent real estate developers and contract home builders for housing development. Lastly, will be the expansion of the business to other parts of the country and other countries in the region.

My solution impact goal indicator will be the project assessment and the service evaluation by customers: The company will conduct the assessment from the customers. An evaluation of the service and products of providing smart waste bins and waste collection will be done by the company. They will assess whether the solution meets and solves citizens' customer waste problems and evaluate whether homes made out of recycled plastic blocks are economically affordable, environmentally friendly, and sustainable. Customers will also be given the chance to provide feedback if there is room for improvement on the company's service and products to better meet their needs.   

I expect my solution, in the long run, to be adaptable, usable, easily integrated with customers, and environmentally friendly and sustainable.  My solution uses the theory of technology adoption to enhance waste management issues and the housing crisis.

First, waste management inefficiency on the waste issue and the absence of recycling have been factor in the country's need for new technologies to enhance citizens and waste management issues. The input will be in selling and distributing smart waste bins to citizens and having a structured smart waste management system that effectively monitors and collects waste before it overflows for recycling purposes. The output is recycling the waste into interlocked and plastic logo bricks for housing and infrastructural development.  The impact is that the bricks recycled from waste will create affordable housing for middle-income households in the country and increase the number of middle-income earners in the country with a high percentage of home ownership. Lastly, it will reduce the carbon footprint during the construction of homes and the number of sub-standard houses in the country prone to natural disasters. 

My solution of  smart waste bin and smart waste management system is powered by AI, and it uses IoT (Internet of Things) to enhance daily productivity. I believe that AI, IoT,  and the fourth industrial revolution are the new future in enhancing the grand and daily challenges our globe faces.  

My company approach is to inclusive given opportunities to women and unemployed youths in my country equal opportunity to be involved in the development and support of the company's solution. To also make a meaningful contribution to the goals and vision of the company.  

Waste management has been a severe problem in Sierra Leone for several years due to a' lack of knowledge among residents about solid waste management. Eco Homes Recycling Company Limited (EHRCL) is aware of this issue and will provide smart waste bins to households, commercial entities, and industries in the country for effective plastic waste management. Each household, commercial entity, and industry will be provided with one or more bins (depending on the company's waste output generation and needs), with a piece costing around $30. In other words, if a particular household requires a bin, they will pay $30; those needing two to three pieces will pay $60 and above. In addition to the smart waste bins, households, commercial entities, and industries will also benefit from plastic bricks. EHRCL will produce bricks through recycling, using plastic waste collected from the above-mentioned customers and beneficiaries. The plastic brick will cost $3 per piece. As plastic waste management and housing are severe problems in Sierra Leone, EHRCL will reduce plastic pollution and the housing deficit in the country in the long term. 

I plan to pitch my project to investors in order to secure a grant to scale up my project's pilot and upscale stages. Once I secure the funding and start operation, the company's services and products will serve as its financial sustainability method.  The company will have a centralized waste management business model based on the sale of smart waste bins and monthly waste collection fees from customers. It will also include the sale of recycled plastic bricks to real estate and house contractors, owners of homes constructed with plastic bricks, and new homeowners/buyers.  They will all serve as the company's financial base for future sustainability and self-sufficiency. 

At the moment, I haven't received any grants or investments pertaining to my project scale-up or financial sustainability.  I have applied for a couple of grants, but I have been rejected. I spent my own money and resources to do prototype testing of my solution.  I have one core principle in life “Never Give Up.”  If you are passionate and eager about a particular problem you want to solve, you will pour all you have into seeing it happen. Be persistent, just like Elon Musk did with his Space X company—consistently trying in the midst of failure, he never gave up. I am optimistic that my project and its solution will gain favour and support from those who see its potential.