Design and Fabrication of a Portable Seabin for River Cleaning

The increasing prevalence of plastic waste in riverine ecosystems poses significant environmental and health risks. This paper presents the design and implementation of a portable Seabin system developed to address water pollution challenges, specifically focusing on Malaysian rivers. The system integrates Arduino Nano and NodeMCU microcontrollers, ultrasonic sensors, and GPS tracking for intelligent and automated garbage collection. It operates by extracting river water, filtering out debris into a removable container, and recirculating the cleansed water. Real-time monitoring of waste levels and system location is facilitated through LED indicators, an audible alert system, and the Blynk smartphone application. Testing demonstrated the system’s capability for effective waste level monitoring, efficient collection of floating debris (achieving approximately $85 \%$ trash collection efficiency), and prompt maintenance alerts via accurate real-time waste level detection. This research offers a sustainable and efficient IoT-enabled solution for river remediation, contributing to environmental conservation and global pollution mitigation efforts through innovative design.