Construction of an Automatic Open‐and‐Close Waste Bin With Fullness Control

The construction and experimental evaluation of an automatic open‐and‐close waste bin with fullness control are presented. The system combines an ultrasonic proximity sensor for contactless lid activation with a light‐dependent resistor (LDR) and an internal LED for fullness interlocking. Unlike systems that only indicate a full container, the proposed design inhibits further disposal once the fullness optical path is interrupted. The prototype was evaluated over 30 days across 112 operating trials at indoor temperatures of 27°C–31°C and illuminance levels of 300–500 lx. The lid opened when a user was detected within 0–100 cm (0–1 m). The total opening duration lasted approximately 1.00 s in 16 trials (14.3%), approximately 1.10 s in 83 trials (74.1%), and approximately 1.20 s in 13 trials (11.6%), yielding a mean latency between activation and opening of the bin lid of 1.0973 ± 0.051 s (mean ± SD; 98% CI: 1.0859–1.1087 s). All 112 trials were completely successful, representing a sample success proportion () of 1.0 (100%; 98% Wilson score CI: 95.39%–100.00%). No false‐opening or false‐full events occurred under the defined test conditions. Fullness testing used dry paper, plastic, and polythene waste without sand or particulate contaminants. The maximum operating power was 16 W (2 A at 8 V). The opaque bin body isolates the LED–LDR pair from external room lighting, while a nonreflective internal optical region minimizes stray reflections. The principal contribution is the experimentally validated integration of proximity activation, an optically isolated LDR–LED fullness lockout, quantified lid‐opening latency, and complete functional success under defined indoor conditions in a low‐complexity rugged electromechanical prototype.