Concept of Mobile Application for Organization of Separate Waste Collection

. The article presents the results of devising a concept for organization of separate waste collection at the household level using special software. The problem of waste collection and disposal at the local level in Russian regions is substantiated. All key characteristics of the problem area are defined and the basic concepts of functional capabilities of a respective mobile application are formulated using divergence, synthesis, analysis, transformation and convergence methods. The primary concept defines the following elements: accessibility of waste collection areas depending on their type; awareness of waste content and their preparation and disposal methods in household conditions; involvement of people of various age into the waste preparation and disposal process in a game format.


Introduction
According to expert estimates, about 3 bln waste tons are generated annually in the world [1,2]. Today's environmental studies are intended to address the issue of waste recycling [3,4,5]. Each country creates industrial and household waste management systems. This is related to changes in resource provision associated with a transition to the large-scale use of secondary raw materials. Russian scientists note that the waste management systems is underdeveloped [1,3,6]. Waste is very often buried or incinerated and most part of it is accumulated at landfills occupying large areas [3].
The primary issue in waste collection in Russia is sorting. Scientists note in their researches that sorting is done in sorting lines available only in few cities. Sorting is successful if it takes place near the waste generation source [3]. This ensures double efficiency of sorting for further production of secondary raw materials: primary sorting by population and further sorting at sorting lines.
Waste sorting in household conditions requires appropriate infrastructure. Not every city has container sites for various types of household wastes [3,7]. If such sites are equipped with special containers, it is hard to identify to which type of waste various items belong. Not everybody can distinguish whether the package is made of cardboard or cellulose. Therefore, additional information sources are required to enhance the people's competence in understanding marks on items to be disposed.
The primary research area in the Russian science is intended to form the optimal waste logistics, improve process chains of sorting, recycling and increase the throughput capacity. The research objective is to improve the people's involvement into proper separate waste collection.
The theoretical significance of the study lies in formalizing the separate waste collection by highlighting objects and subjects taking part in a respective process. The resulting formal model can be used in researches intended to improve the efficiency of waste organization, transportation and processing. Moreover, this model can be used to automate the entire process or its individual elements.
The practical significance of the research findings lies in the need for state or private companies to create a unified concept of separate waste collection.

Objects and Methods
The research object is organization of separate waste collection in Moscow.
Developing a concept of a mobile application that can organize separate waste collection requires a research using the following methods: 1.
The divergence method defines the limits of the research subject to find an efficient solution of the problem. This method helped to form a set of prospective actions and key elements explaining the essence of the research object [1,6].

2.
Synthesis and analysis. The theoretical significance must comprise functional capabilities that correspond to real processes and objects of the problem domain. The analysis method was used to capture such characteristics. It helped identifying all participants of such process and find links between them. The findings enabled their synthesis to establish the rules and relations between individual objects for the developed system.

3.
The transformation method applied to synthesis and analysis results. Transformations help specifying the structure of the problem and define all key properties of the area or its restrictions [3]. 4.
The convergence method used to detail research solution, eliminate uncertainties, exclude alternatives under the defined criteria [6,10].

Results
The research found that separate waste collection is not a systemic or mandatory process for Russian citizens. Various cities have their own specific features of waste collection while some do not provide for waste sorting in household conditions.
The situation around separate waste collection in Moscow shows the following distinctive features: 1.
A two-container system is used: one container is for plastic, metal, glass and waste paper, the other one for food and contaminated wastes, food residues and personal-care products. This system is applied for residential blocks in all districts of the capital.

2.
Garbage chutes are used in residential buildings of certain years of construction. They are not forbidden and intended for food and contaminated wastes, containers for food residues and personal-care products.

3.
Some areas for waste collection are equipped with a container for large and construction wastes. It should be noted that not all residential buildings have such containers nearby.

4.
Hazardous wastes are disposed in special areas [12]. Hazardous wastes mean mercury thermometers, batteries, bulbs, etc. Used batteries can be returned to malls, business centers, or stores. Other wastes can be disposed only in few places.

5.
Special events in educational facilities intended to collect certain types of waste (such as caps of plastic bottles, paper wastes, etc.). Such events are regular. 6.
Unawareness about specific features of waste disposal [1]. Not everybody knows that disposal of certain types of wastes requires certain preparation activities (such as bottle washing or label removal). It is not always clear of which materials items are made of (for example, plastic can be of several types having different disposal features). It should be noted that some manufacturers produce items made of several types of materials (for example, they laminate paper).
All the above features were considered by the authors for the city of Moscow as an issue that must be addressed when developing a mobile app concept.
The mobile app concept demonstrates the following features: 1.
Reference information about waste types, their disposal methods, disposal preparation and other useful information. Such information must be given in a clear form for various age groups. 2.
An opportunity to determine the type of waste that must be disposed. After directing the smartphone camera to the item to be disposed, it must show the waste category. If the item has components, each must be identified in an appropriate manner. Such functions are implemented in the mobile app using a learning neural network that analyzes images.

3.
Forming recommendations for disposal of the item. Depending on the type of waste, the recommendation may contain one of the following: • a map location of the nearest place (container or building) for disposal of that type of waste; • contact details to call a team transporting waste to the disposal center (for example, for construction waste, household appliances and other types of large waste).
It should be noted that in case of several recommendations, they must be sorted by the user-defined criterion (closest location to the smartphone location, work schedule, etc.).

4.
A quest as a game for a mobile app. Such a quest must involve the user into a conscious separate waste collection. This can be achieved by performing regular tasks (for example, collect 10 kg of waste paper per week), taking pictures of illegal dumps, disruption of the waste removal schedule, etc. After completing such tasks, the user gets virtual badges (or any merchandise) or discount coupons from partners supporting the app development (such as retail chains collecting certain types of waste).

Discussion
The existing system of state regulation in waste disposal does not distinguish the processing of solid municipal wastes as an autonomous management object but uses common legal documents and regulations that do not reflect the specific features of waste collection and disposal objects [11,15]. The research findings make it possible to implement the created concept ensuring classification and systemization of wastes depending on their type. The findings confirm the results of modern researches, which will result in improved and increased accuracy of algorithms of neural networks that detect waste images [13]. These algorithms are used as a basis to build systems replacing people on the waste sorting belt at a processing plate, which improves the sorting accuracy.
The relevance of the developed concept is scientifically substantiated in papers confirming priority areas of efficient use of resources for development of regional economy as a system oriented towards balanced and consistent circular development [10,14,15]. Scientists note that creating specialized software products is a perspective area in improving certain problems in the establishment of a regional organizational mechanism for waste management [13,16,17].

Conclusion
There is an urgent need for a stable waste management system. Improving organization and recycling of materials in the waste management system represents a complex task including social and technical aspects. Since there is no software tool that analyses the waste content at earliest possible stages of disposal or processing, recycling plants burden increases and the waste collection system is not improved at the level of a city or an entire region in general.
Developing a concept of software functional capabilities to inform population of waste content, collection points, sorting and disposal alternatives promotes environmental, social and economic culture and discipline in terms of household wastes. Additional activities (such as games, incentives or coupons) will make it possible to involve not only adult population but also children into the process of sorting.
The research findings are relevant and can be used during designing and development of any software products including a mobile app. This is justified by the use of common scientific methods to achieve the results that are aligned with researches in this field of science.