CNN-Based Circular Economy in E-Waste Management with Blockchain and IoT Integration
P. Santhuja, A. Suresh · 2025
Increasing electronic waste (e-waste) is a serious environmental and financial problem that calls for creative ideas for effective resource recovery and recycling. This paper proposes an IoT- and Blockchain-integrated e-waste management system based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to boost automated waste classification and, thus, circular economy practices. While Blockchain guarantees open and safe tracking of waste transportation, IoT sensors and RFID tags allow real-time monitoring of e-waste. Training on a collection of 50,000 e-waste images, a CNN-based image classification model attained an accuracy of 96.2% in classifying components into recyclables, reusables, and hazardous items. Using automated decision-making, the system showed a 28% reduction in processing time and a 32% gain in sorting efficiency over conventional approaches. Blockchain incorporation enhanced traceability through 100% secure transaction records, lowering fraud and illegal disposal. Experimental data show that this method improves 23% resource recovery rates by promoting sustainable e-waste management. The proposed architecture minimizes environmental effects by encouraging ethical e-waste disposal and a closed-loop recycling system. These results show how Blockchain-secured, AI-driven IoT devices might help to advance circular economic ideas for world e-waste management.