Enhancing waste sorting and recycling efficiency: robust deep learning-based approach for classification and detection

Abstract Given the severity of waste pollution as a major environmental concern, intelligent and sustainable waste management is becoming increasingly crucial in both developed and developing countries. The material composition and volume of urban solid waste are key considerations in processing, managing, and utilizing city waste. Deep learning technologies have emerged as viable solutions to address waste management issues by reducing labor costs and automating complex tasks. However, the limited number of trash image categories and the inadequacy of existing datasets have constrained the proper evaluation of machine learning model performance across a large number of waste classes. In this paper, we present robust waste image classification and object detection studies using deep learning models, utilizing 28 distinct recyclable categories of waste images comprising a total of 10,406 images. For the waste classification task, we proposed a novel dual-stream network that outperformed several state-of-the-art models, achieving an overall classification accuracy of 83.11%. Additionally, we introduced the GELAN-E (generalized efficient layer aggregation network) model for waste object detection tasks, obtaining a mean average precision (mAP50) of 63%, surpassing other state-of-the-art detection models. These advancements demonstrate significant progress in the field of intelligent waste management, paving the way for more efficient and effective solutions.