3D scanning technology can tell how clean Indian cities are

How 3D Scanning Technology Measures Illegal Waste and Urban Cleanliness in Indian Cities

A new study shows how 3D scanning technology can measure illegal municipal solid waste and reveal the real cleanliness of Indian cities. Researchers used handheld 3D sensors and an urban transect sampling method to estimate illegally dumped waste in different Delhi neighbourhoods.

The study estimated around 5.57 lakh tonnes of illegally dumped municipal solid waste in Delhi, equivalent to about 62 times the city's daily waste generation. It also found a major disparity in waste collection efficiency: around 67% in poorer neighbourhoods compared with up to 99% in higher-income areas.

The innovative 3D scanning method can measure the volume of waste piles and identify their composition, including plastic, biodegradable waste, construction debris and other inert materials. Researchers say the technology could help municipal bodies assess neighbourhood-level waste collection efficiency and design better waste-management policies.

Dr Ajay Singh Nagpure of the University of Minnesota conducted the study, and it was published in Resources, Conservation & Recycling. The U.S. National Science Foundation supported the research.

This article explores how 3D technology could transform urban cleanliness monitoring, municipal waste management, illegal dumping detection and solid waste collection in Indian cities.

New Delhi, October 24 (India Science Wire): At any given point, the national capital has about 5.57 lakh tons of municipal solid waste illegally dumped on the roadside or in open plots. This is 62 times higher than the daily municipal solid waste generated in the city, according to a new study.

The estimate has been arrived at by using a new method that deploys 3D sensor scanning technology to quantify the mass of illegally dumped municipal solid waste, combined with an ‘urban transect’ sampling technique. The method can not only help estimate the volume of waste piles but also the type of waste dumped – debris, plastic, biodegradable and so on.

For scanning of waste dumped on the roadside, researchers used a USB-powered handheld scanner based on very short-range scanning technology. Using high-definition colour cameras and a highly sensitive infrared projector, this technology allows scanning any objects with precise volume measurement. The scanners were taken around street-by-street in four localities representing different socio-economic strata – Jangpura extension, Brijpuri, Bhogal and Safdarjung Enclave. The data was then extrapolated for the whole city.

The commercially available scanners are normally used for creating images for 3D printers so that those objects can be printed. “Since we were using these scanners for the first time for measuring municipal solid waste, we validated the 3D sensors before deploying into the field. Objects having different regular and irregular shapes with a known volume were scanned by the 3D sensor and compared with the real volume of the object. The difference found was less than 1%,” explained Dr. Ajay Singh Nagpure from the University of Minnesota, who conducted the study in Delhi. The results of the study have been published in the journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling.

The study estimated the amount of illegally dumped municipal solid waste on the roadside or in open plots in four neighbourhoods with different economic statuses to estimate annual municipal waste collection efficiency.

As per official estimates, the annual average waste collection efficiency in the city is 83 per cent, meaning this much municipal solid waste is collected and transported to landfill. But the study has found that the collection efficiency differs from locality to locality and is linked with the economic status. It is 67% in poor localities, while it is up to 99 per cent in higher-income areas. The difference is due to better waste management infrastructure, including door-to-door waste collection, waste collection centres, and municipal street sweepers in higher-income colonies. On the other hand, poor localities only depend on municipal street sweepers and trucks for collecting the waste, and there is no door-to-door waste collection.

The composition of illegally dumped of municipal solid waste also differs significantly across wealthy and poor neighbourhoods. High quantities of inert material - construction material and debris - were found in higher-income localities, while more food material and plastic was observed in poor areas.

Any waste that was dumped in open areas and plots other than the community dump or dhalao was considered illegal in the study. “It is true that illegally dumped waste also makes its way to the landfill, wherever there is public outcry. In the study, the estimated illegally accumulated dumped waste includes both time-to-time removal (to the landfill) and dumping of waste,” Dr Nagpure explained while speaking to India Science Wire.

The municipal solid waste collection efficiency in most Indian cities ranges from 50 to 90 percent of per day generated MSW. The remaining waste is left uncollected every day, resulting in the accumulation of a large quantity of waste on roadside and open plots in cities.

Dr Nagpure said the new method is cost-effective and could readily be used by municipal bodies across the country to estimate the waste collection efficiency at neighbourhood level, which, in turn, could help in designing appropriate policies. Till now there was no field method available to estimate municipal solid waste collection efficiency at the neighbourhood level.

The study was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

FAQs

1. How can 3D scanning technology measure urban waste?

Handheld 3D scanners use high-definition cameras and infrared projection to scan waste piles and calculate their volume precisely. Researchers can then use the measurements to estimate the quantity of illegally dumped waste.

2. How much illegally dumped waste was estimated in Delhi?

The study estimated approximately 5.57 lakh tonnes of municipal solid waste illegally dumped on roadsides or in open plots across Delhi.

3. What is the waste collection efficiency in Delhi?

The study found that waste collection efficiency varies significantly between neighbourhoods. It was around 67% in poorer localities and as high as 99% in higher-income areas.

4. Why is waste collection less efficient in poorer neighbourhoods?

According to the study, poorer areas have less access to waste-management infrastructure such as door-to-door collection and dedicated waste collection centres, while relying more heavily on street sweepers and municipal trucks.

5. What types of waste were found in Delhi's neighbourhoods?

The composition varied by locality. Higher-income areas had larger quantities of construction material and debris, while poorer areas had relatively more food waste and plastic.

6. Can 3D scanning identify the type of waste?

Yes. The method can help estimate both the volume and composition of waste, including debris, plastic, biodegradable material and other categories.

7. How accurate was the 3D scanning method?

Before field deployment, researchers validated the scanners using objects with known volumes. The difference between the scanned and actual volume was reported to be less than 1%.

8. Can this technology be used in other Indian cities?

Researchers said the method is cost-effective and could be adopted by municipal bodies across India to assess waste collection efficiency at the neighbourhood level.

9. Why is neighbourhood-level waste data important?

Neighbourhood-level data can reveal disparities that citywide averages may hide. It can help authorities identify areas with poor collection, improve infrastructure and develop targeted waste-management policies.

10. Which journal published the study?

The research was published in the international journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling.

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