Kinshasa is breaking new ground in solid waste management with a voice-activated smart garbage can. Called “Odia”, the device was launched on September 1, 2023 by a group of students from the Faculty of Oil, Gas and Renewable Energies in the Department of Renewable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Engineering option at the University of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Odia is equipped with a motion detector and a voice command that tells the user in which bin to dispose of his waste according to its nature. The sorting system comprises two bins with a combined volume of 0.75 m3. When “95% full, the garbage can emits a warning light and blocks the opening at 100% to prevent waste overflow“, explains Omatuku Difumba Armand, one of the designers of the intelligent garbage can.
Improving waste collection efficiency
Odia is also equipped with a solar water system with storage batteries. “We also plan to equip the smart garbage can with a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) system. This will enable the collector to be alerted remotely about the fill level. But we’re having a few problems acquiring the equipment, due to the limited means at our disposal. Financial support will enable us at the same time to produce a range of Odia garbage cans, which we will then place in every company, hospital, airport and university in Kinshasa”, adds Omatuku Difumba Armand.
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In addition to reducing pollution in Kinshasa, a city that generates 7,000 tonnes of waste every day, mass production of these intelligent garbage cans could boost the efficiency of collectors in the field, and even recycling in the DR-Congolese capital, which is multiplying partnerships with companies investing in the circular economy.
With the launch of its smart garbage can, Kinshasa joins the still restricted circle of African cities that are putting technology to work in solid waste management. Kigali, the capital of Rwanda did so in November 2021, launching smart garbage cans equipped with sensors to monitor fill levels in real time. Since then, these devices have significantly improved the city’s sanitation, making the East African country an African benchmark for sustainable waste management.
Inès Magoum