Design and Implementation of IoT-Based Optimized Waste and Energy Management System for Maiduguri as a Strategy towards Smart City

Rapid urbanization in developing regions has intensely exacerbated infrastructure stress, particularly concerning waste management and energy distribution in cities characterized by infrastructural fragility. This study addresses these critical urban challenges by presenting an innovative IoT-enabled framework for smart waste management and energy optimization, using Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, Nigeria, as a representative case study. The developed system integrates low-cost, accessible hardware: an Arduino Uno microcontroller, dual ultrasonic sensors, an MG996 servo motor for automated operation and a SIM900 GSM/GPRS module for wide-area network connectivity, all powered by a stabilized buck converter. The smart bin prototype offers real-time fill-level monitoring and contactless operation. Data on fill status and time stamps are transmitted via GPRS at 60-second intervals to the remote ThingSpeak cloud platform, transforming raw sensor readings into actionable time-series data. The system’s critical alerting mechanism is triggered when the bin reaches a capacity threshold of 90%, dispatching immediate SMS notifications to municipal authorities for prompt collection scheduling. Experimental validation demonstrates that the implementation significantly reduces the need for manual inspection, optimizes route planning through data-driven insights, and contributes to enhanced energy efficiency by minimizing collection vehicle mileage. These findings affirm the viability and effectiveness of deploying scalable, cost-sensitive IoT solutions as a foundational strategy for achieving sustainable urban management goals in emerging smart cities.