Mapúa MCM student Kenn William Ko and his group at the closing ceremony upon receiving the Gold Award.
A team of international students, including Kenn William Ko—an Electronics Engineering student of Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao (Mapúa MCM)—earned the Gold Award at the Chung Yuan Christian University Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (CYCU EECS) International Project Design Summer Camp 2025, held from July 31 to August 20, 2025 at CYCU in Chung Li, Taiwan.
The project, titled “Navigating Environmental Sustainability: A Smart Waste Sorting System,” was designed to tackle challenges in Taiwan’s waste management practices. Despite the country’s high recycling rates, issues such as confusion over material classification, the time and effort needed for separation, and limited space for sorting often result in improper disposal and contamination.
To address these challenges, the team introduced a Smart Waste Sorting System capable of automatically detecting and separating paper, plastic, and metal; rejecting non-recyclables and signaling improper items; and tracking recycling data such as bin capacity and disposal patterns.
The representatives’ proposed prototype of the Smart Waste Sorting System.
The prototype combined computer vision, ultrasonic sensors, and servo motors with an AI-powered classification algorithm that achieved an impressive 97.5% accuracy rate. The system also integrated ThingSpeak for data monitoring and Telegram notifications for real-time updates.
The group’s presentation covered the environmental problem, a technical overview of the system, experimental results, and recommendations for future improvements such as dataset refinement, algorithm optimization, and hardware upgrades.
Mark Quilang from Mapúa University and Kenn William Ko from Mapúa MCM were part of Group 18 and guided by teaching assistants Zong-Zhe Xie and Ting-Yan Wei, under the supervision of Prof. Tan-Jan Ho.
When asked about his insights during the summer camp, Kenn William Ko stated, “It is a fun mix of learning and experiences. You get to learn from experienced professors about your chosen topic, and also get a glimpse of how locals live.”
This initiative directly contributes to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It supports SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities by helping urban areas manage waste more effectively. It advances SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production through improved recycling quality and resource efficiency. It aligns with SDG 13 – Climate Action by reducing environmental impact through sustainable waste practices. Finally, it exemplifies SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals by fostering collaboration among students and faculty from Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines in developing innovative, sustainability-driven solutions.