Talking Dustbin: A Smart Bin That Thanks You
A Class 9 maker club built a bin with an ultrasonic sensor and a speaker that greets students, thanks them for disposing waste, and reports when it is full.
Anjali DesaiComputer Science Teacher · Nalanda Public SchoolThe maker club wanted to solve the litter problem in our corridors. Posters did not work, so they decided the bin itself should speak.
Hardware: Arduino Uno, HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor, DFPlayer Mini MP3 module, a small speaker and a 9V battery. The lid sensor detects a hand, plays a thank-you clip recorded by the students in Gujarati and English, and a second sensor inside measures fill level. When it is 80% full a red LED blinks for the housekeeping staff.
The code is about 90 lines and the students documented every function. Total cost about ₹900 per bin.
Result after one month: litter in the corridor near the bin dropped visibly, and three more classes asked for their own talking bins. The next version will log usage counts to a spreadsheet using an ESP8266.
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Log in to commentCan we get the audio clips in Hindi too? Our students would love this during sports day.
Absolutely Dinesh, the kids will record it this week.