WASTEWISE: AI-POWERED WASTE EDUCATION FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS USING YOLOV8 AND ESP32-CAM

The growing volume of global waste poses a significant challenge for effective waste management, particularly in developing countries where awareness and practices around waste sorting remain limited. This study aims to enhance elementary school students' understanding and efficiency in sorting organic and inorganic waste using an interactive, AI-powered educational tool. The proposed system, WasteWise, integrates YOLOv8 for real-time object detection and ESP32-CAM for capturing waste images. A pre-test and post-test experimental design was conducted to assess students’ performance before and after using the system. The results showed a notable improvement in sorting accuracy, increasing from 60% with manual sorting to 90% using the WasteWise system, alongside reduced sorting time. These findings highlight the system's potential not only as an automated waste classification tool but also as a cost-effective and engaging platform for promoting environmental awareness and digital literacy among young learners.