Citation:
S.T. Wagland, F. Veltre, P.J. Longhurst, Development of an image-based analysis method to determine the physical
composition of a mixed waste material, Waste Management, Volume 32, Issue 2, February 2012, Pages 245–248.
Abstract:
An experimental study was undertaken to assess the suitability of an image-based
approach for determining the physical composition of mixed organic wastes.
Samples arriving at different waste sorting facilities, each visited twice
during the study, were physically sorted to examine the composition these
materials. During these surveys the waste was processed in order to obtain
digital images covering 30 m 2 , representing approximately 250-500 kg of mixed
waste. The images were processed using ERDAS Imagine software in order to
assess the area covered by each component within the waste material. The
composition determined from the image analysis was compared with the results
from the physical hand sorting. The image analysis results indicated a strong
correlation between the physical results (mean r = 0.91) however it was evident
that components such as film plastics and paper were over-estimated by the image
analysis approach. This short communication provides initial results,
demonstrating the potential of an image-based method, and discusses further
research requirements and future applications of this technique.
