Planning the waste management and recycling for all of the rubbish produced in this country is an enormous task which involves both logistical planning and scientific knowledge and understanding in order to balance the impact on the environment and the cost effectiveness of the process.

Waste management and recycling companies are also feeling an extra pressure to perform their role in the greenest ways possible. It is important to remember that the UK’s resources and landfill sites are limited and this has a major bearing on the kind of activities that are carried out.

Waste collection and rubbish disposal play an extremely important role in the global cleanliness and sustainability drive, with people’s health and the conservation of resources being the responsibility of every government. To ease the pressure on government agencies, numerous privately-managed organisations also play a part in these waste management and recycling programs. In many cities it means that local government agencies have been left with the responsibility of overseeing the work done by these privately held organisations.

Thousands of years ago humans simply dug a hole and buried their refuse and waste. This was an effective technique for these early people because their population was relatively small and they did not produce waste on the same scale or with the levels of complexity that modern humans do. Burying the rubbish helped to prevent bugs and rodents from becoming a nuisance and spreading diseases.

In the modern world burying all of our rubbish is not a sustainable solution. While primitive humans produced very little waste, and that which was produced would biodegrade quickly, modern humans produce much larger amounts of waste, much of which is not biodegradable. Additionally, many types of waste may be damaging to the soil, ground water and surrounding habitat.

The most important reason for waste collection is the protection of the environment and the health of the population.

Rubbish and waste can cause air and water pollution. Rotting garbage is also known to produce harmful gases that mix with the air and can cause breathing problems in people. By inspecting the vegetation around landfill sites carefully you can determine the damage that can be caused by garbage and waste if left untreated in the open. To address this problem modern waste management professionals place garbage in lined holes and use bacteria to help facilitate its rapid decomposition. Rotting garbage and waste emanates a foul smell that can cause nausea among people who come into contact with it. It can also be a source for waterborne diseases such as cholera and abdominal conditions and discomfort. Since water sources need to be protected the role of waste disposal companies is very important. These organisations should make it a priority to secure their landfill sites so that water bodies are not affected by the garbage and waste collected from homes and commercial establishments.

Waste collection companies also sort the garbage into recyclable columns, as recycling the products that leave our homes is of utmost importance. Recycling not only helps in conserving our natural resources but also reduces the cost of production of many products. Products such as glass, oil, plastic, paper can all be recycled which will ultimately put less pressure on the natural resources used to manufacture these products.

Lastly, waste management and recycling collection can help conserve our planet’s natural beauty which can be flawed by thoughtless disposal of waste, fly-tipping and senseless littering. Landscapes can be ruined through littering and places of tourist interest can lose their attraction; it is also a blight for those who live in areas where waste collection and recycling is not managed effectively and responsibly. Natural beauty is a legacy and a right for future generations and conserving it, as well as our natural resources, for their benefit is our responsibility today.

The dataset spans five classes: glass, paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, and trash. Currently, the dataset consists of 2390 images:

• 501 glass
• 594 paper
• 403 cardboard
• 482 plastic
• 410 metal

The pictures have been resized down to 512 x 384

The dataset can be downloaded here.

Or you can go to trashnet dataset github repo here.