AI-Based Autonomous Circular Waste Management System for Remote Strategic Military Installations

Remote strategic military installations in high-altitude, border, and island environments face substantial solid-waste management challenges owing to limited transportation access, severe climatic conditions, and inadequate infrastructure (Thakur et al., 2021). This study proposes an AI-based autonomous circular waste management system that integrates artificial intelligence, Internet of Things sensors, automated waste segregation, plastic recycling, organic-waste treatment, and energy recovery within a circular-economy framework. A scenario-based assessment of a representative military installation generating 500 kg of solid waste daily suggests that the proposed system could divert approximately 90% of waste from landfilling, recover 120–150 kg/day of recyclable plastics, convert 180–220 kg/day of organic waste into compost or biogas feedstock, and reduce waste-transportation requirements by approximately 70%. Compared with conventional disposal practices, the system is estimated to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 45–60% while supporting continuous IoT-enabled monitoring and autonomous operation. The proposed framework offers a scalable, resilient, and sustainable approach to improving operational efficiency and environmental stewardship in remote strategic military installations.

Artificial Intelligence (AI); Autonomous Waste Management; Circular Economy; Remote Military Installations; Internet of Things (IoT)

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