Innovation met sustainability when SEGi College Penang’s School of IT students, Lam Yong Qin and Tan Kai Xiang, clinched the Silver Medal at the Sustainable Initiatives for Recycling and Environmental Health (SiREH) Innovation Competition (SIC 2025).
The competition, hosted by Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) in collaboration with SWM Environment and the Waste Management Association of Malaysia (WMAM), gathered Malaysia’s brightest young minds and professional innovators. Each team was challenged to create solutions that reimagine waste management and drive greener practices in a fast-changing world.
SEGi’s silver-winning project stood out for its creative use of artificial intelligence and sensor technology to solve everyday environmental issues. Their innovation introduced an AI-based segregation module, powered by YOLOv8 and Gemini AI, capable of classifying waste through captured images and automatically sorting it into the correct category. To take it further, an ultrasonic sensor was integrated to monitor garbage levels in real time, with a user-friendly dashboard that presents the data in an interactive doughnut chart.
The system’s auto-halt mechanism locks the bin once it reaches 80% capacity to prevent overflow, while a cleaner identity tracking module ensures accountability by requiring garbage collectors to scan their IDs during collection. Together, these features not only enhance waste segregation efficiency but also strengthen service management and community cleanliness.
Announced on 21 August 2025, this recognition reflects how SEGi students are pushing the boundaries of innovation, merging technology with sustainability for real-world impact.
This award-winning project echoes the core values of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — specifically SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action) — reinforcing SEGi’s commitment to nurturing future-ready graduates who champion innovation with purpose.