Route Optimization and Internet of Things (IOT)-Enabled Smart Waste Management System in Urban Areas: A Case Study of Rivers State, Nigeria

Dumnamene J.S. Sako; Gift O. Eduga; Ibama Brown; Uchechukwu Agi

doi:10.56201/wjimt.v10.no2.2026.pg291.306

📄 Download Paper

Route Optimization and Internet of Things (IOT)-Enabled Smart Waste Management System in Urban Areas: A Case Study of Rivers State, Nigeria

Dumnamene J.S. Sako, Gift O. Eduga, Ibama Brown, Uchechukwu Agi

Abstract

This paper presents Internet of Things -enabled smart waste management system with integrated route optimisation, aimed at addressing the challenge of inefficient logistics planning and resource control in urban waste management. It leverages IoT technologies including ultrasonic sensors for fill-level detection, GIS and GPS modules for real-time location tracking and shortest path measurements and Arduino microcontrollers for system- wide data acquisition from sensors enabling real-time monitoring of waste bins across Port Harcourt and major city centers in Rivers State, Nigeria. The data collected from the sensors is transmitted via lightweight protocols (MQTT/HTTP) to a cloud database, where it is processed and visualised through a Flask-powered dashboard. The system is designed using the Object-Oriented Design methodology, which allows modular representation of system components such as bins, sensors, and route optimisation and recommendation logic. The route optimisation approach entails the usage of a Shortest Path Algorithm combined with a Route Recommender Model implemented to minimize travel distance, prioritize bins nearing full capacity, and avoid redundant collection trips. The recommender model was trained on simulated bin data (location, fill-level, collection frequency) using Decision Trees. Simulation results show that the scores were high across all metrics, with Precision at 0.89, Recall at 0.87, F1-Score at 0.88, and 92.5% accuracy in predicting optimal collection and route optimisation completion rate of 35%, which indicates that the results of the proposed IoT-enabled system significantly reduce operational costs, travel distance, and energy consumption while improving waste collection efficiency, and promoting sustainable urban sanitation practices. These values also indicate that the model not only predicts bin status accurately but also maintains a good balance between identifying actual full bins and minimising false alerts.

Keywords

Environmental sustainabilitySmartBinsWaste managementDecision Tree ClassifierIOT sensors

References

Ali, S., & Rahman, A. (2021). The role of smart waste management in achieving sustainable urban development. Journal of Environmental Management, 284, 112030. Amusan, A.A & Sanni, E.A. (2025). Development of an IoT-enabled smart waste bin and urban waste management framework: A case study of Lagos State. FUOYE Journal of Engineering and Technology, 10(3), 431-439. Barrière, O. (2019). Coviability of social and ecological systems: Reconnecting mankind to the biosphere in an era of global change. M. Behnassi, G. David, V. Douzal, M. Fargette, T.Libourel, M. Loireau, ... & S. Morand (Eds.). Cham: Springer International Publishing Belsare, K. & Goraya, D. (2022). Varıous Frameworks for IoT-Enabled Intellıgent Waste Management System Usıng ML for Smart Cıtıes. 10.1007/978-981-19-2069-1_55. Binafeigha, T.R. & Enwin, A.D. (2017). The State of Solid Waste Management in Port Harcourt City, Nigeria. American Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 5(4), 160-166. https://doi.org/ 10.12691/ajcea-5-4-4 Elendu, O. V., Minah-Eeba, W., & Odu, E. V. (2022). Automated waste disposal system in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, using IoT. International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer and Communication Engineering. Eze, B. N., Ugochukwu, C. U., & Okezie, C. A. (2021). Solid waste generation and management in Port Harcourt. International Journal of Waste Management, 4(1), 1–12. Javaid, A. (2013). Understanding Dijkstra Algorithm. SSRN Electronic Journal, https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2340905 National Population Commission . (2023). Nigeria Demographic Statistics. Abuja: NPC. National Population Commission . (2023). Population Estimate for Nigeria and States. Abuja: NPC. Ogboeli G. P., Gospel C. D., Ikpoku I. O., Ogbonda P. N. & Atuzie, Q. A. (2024). Poor solid waste management and public health challenges in Port Harcourt metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria. Global Scientific Journal, 12(12), 863- 875. Okoro, J. & Ogboeli, G.P. (2025). The evaluation of waste management practices of rivers state waste management agency , International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science , 1081-1098. https://doi.org/10.51584/IJRIAS.2025.100700098 Okubanjo, A., Bashir O.O., Okandeji, A., & Daniel, E. (2023). Smart bin and IoT: A sustainable future for waste management system in Nigeria. Gazi University Journal of Science, 37(1), 222– 235. 10.35378/gujs.1254271 Pavithra M., Alagu, N., Angel, A., Aruleeswaran, R. & Balaji, N. (2023). IoT-based automated smart waste management system. International Journal of Scientific Research in Science, Engineering and Technology, 10(2), 446-455 RIWAMA. (2020). Rivers State Waste Management Agency Annual Report. Port Harcourt: Government of Rivers State Singh, R., Gupta, A., & Kumar, M. (2020). Waste generation trends and challenges in urban environments. Waste Management Journal, 38(2), 145–156. Song, Y & Lu, Y (2015). Decision tree methods: applications for classification and prediction, Shanghai Arch Psychiatry, 27(2):130–135. https://doi.org/10.11919/j.issn.1002- 0829.215044 Suprava, L., Pattanayak, B., Pattnaik, S. & Kumar, S. (2023). A smart waste management system framework using IoT and LoRa for green city project. International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication. 11, 342-357. Tamakloe, C. & Rosca, E. (2020). Smart systems and the Internet of Things for waste management. 1-6. 10.1109/CIVEMSA48639.2020.9132968. Ugwu, C., Ome, U & Ezeoha, S. (2023). An ideal wireless waste management system for rural settlements. IOSR Journal of Engineering, 13(3), 30-37 UN Environment Programme & International Solid Waste Association . (2024). Beyond an age of waste: Turning rubbish into a resource. UNEP Global Waste Management Outlook Report 2024. https://doi.org/10.59117/20.500.11822/44939 Visigah, K.P. (2017). Peri-urban Settlements and Sustainable Land Management in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Dissertation. Williams, M., Gower, R., Green, J., Whitebread, E., Lenkiewicz, Z. and Schröder, P. (2019). No time to waste: Tackling the plastic pollution crisis before it’s too late. Teddington, United Kingdom: Tearfund. https://learn.tearfund.org/en/ resources/policy-reports/no-time-to-waste World Health Organisation. (2022). Waste and human health: Evidence and needs.

Route Optimization and Internet of Things (IOT)-Enabled Smart Waste Management System in Urban Areas: A Case Study of Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

Keywords

References

More Articles from WORLD JOURNAL OF INNOVATION AND MODERN TECHNOLOGY