Hybrid Deep Feature Extraction and ML for Construction and Demolition Debris Classification

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Alashram, Obai, Alagha, Nejad, AlKakuri, Mahmoud, Swaveel, Zeeshan, Copiaco, Abigail
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866909999682289664
author Alashram, Obai
Alagha, Nejad
AlKakuri, Mahmoud
Swaveel, Zeeshan
Copiaco, Abigail
author_facet Alashram, Obai
Alagha, Nejad
AlKakuri, Mahmoud
Swaveel, Zeeshan
Copiaco, Abigail
contents The construction industry produces significant volumes of debris, making effective sorting and classification critical for sustainable waste management and resource recovery. This study presents a hybrid vision-based pipeline that integrates deep feature extraction with classical machine learning (ML) classifiers for automated construction and demolition (C\&D) debris classification. A novel dataset comprising 1,800 balanced, high-quality images representing four material categories, Ceramic/Tile, Concrete, Trash/Waste, and Wood was collected from real construction sites in the UAE, capturing diverse real-world conditions. Deep features were extracted using a pre-trained Xception network, and multiple ML classifiers, including SVM, kNN, Bagged Trees, LDA, and Logistic Regression, were systematically evaluated. The results demonstrate that hybrid pipelines using Xception features with simple classifiers such as Linear SVM, kNN, and Bagged Trees achieve state-of-the-art performance, with up to 99.5\% accuracy and macro-F1 scores, surpassing more complex or end-to-end deep learning approaches. The analysis highlights the operational benefits of this approach for robust, field-deployable debris identification and provides pathways for future integration with robotics and onsite automation systems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_17038
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Hybrid Deep Feature Extraction and ML for Construction and Demolition Debris Classification
Alashram, Obai
Alagha, Nejad
AlKakuri, Mahmoud
Swaveel, Zeeshan
Copiaco, Abigail
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Machine Learning
The construction industry produces significant volumes of debris, making effective sorting and classification critical for sustainable waste management and resource recovery. This study presents a hybrid vision-based pipeline that integrates deep feature extraction with classical machine learning (ML) classifiers for automated construction and demolition (C\&D) debris classification. A novel dataset comprising 1,800 balanced, high-quality images representing four material categories, Ceramic/Tile, Concrete, Trash/Waste, and Wood was collected from real construction sites in the UAE, capturing diverse real-world conditions. Deep features were extracted using a pre-trained Xception network, and multiple ML classifiers, including SVM, kNN, Bagged Trees, LDA, and Logistic Regression, were systematically evaluated. The results demonstrate that hybrid pipelines using Xception features with simple classifiers such as Linear SVM, kNN, and Bagged Trees achieve state-of-the-art performance, with up to 99.5\% accuracy and macro-F1 scores, surpassing more complex or end-to-end deep learning approaches. The analysis highlights the operational benefits of this approach for robust, field-deployable debris identification and provides pathways for future integration with robotics and onsite automation systems.
title Hybrid Deep Feature Extraction and ML for Construction and Demolition Debris Classification
topic Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.17038