Batterecycle

Batterecycle unofficial logo
Scan this for information on Battery 1!
Scan this for information on Battery 2!
Scan this for information on Battery 3!

Inspiration

Many people are either unaware or not bothered by properly disposing batteries when they no longer function. This is because they need to be recycled at proper plants, instead of simply throwing them into a bin - a great hazard to the environment. We hope to add convenience to the process of correctly disposing batteries to increase sustainability in everyone's lives.

What it does

Our website gives easy access to information on types of batteries, their sustainability/recyclability and where to recycle them. We provide an overview of different rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries. The recycle site section gives a map with a search function to find your nearest battery recycling point. A section on details on batteries gives statistics on their performance, sustainability and recyclability. Finally, we hope that in the future, batteries can be manufactured with a QR code printed on them. This will allow the user to scan the code with their phone, and to be directed to the details on their type of battery. We have created 3 example QR codes that link to our website.

How we built it

The front-end was built using HTML and CSS, with much of the formatting pre-defined by a Bootstrap template. JavaScript was used to code back-end functionalities, such as the Google Maps feature. Github was used for version control and hosting of the website.

Challenges we ran into

Most of us are are very new to web development and some have never used html or Git so there was a lot of time spent learning how to write the code needed for our site. We ran into several problems with the layout, as we used a template with a fairly complicated design. One of the challenges was getting text and figures to align correctly on the pages. We resolved this by trying out different code suggested in stack overflow and by mentors and eventually got things looking how we wanted. Additionally, internet connection was not always reliable and we were unable to have constant contact whilst having the need to collaborate at the moment.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

In 24 hours, we were able to pick up a large range of programming languages we had no experience in! The members responsible for the front-end picked up and implemented HTML/CSS, while those who worked on the back-end did the same with JavaScript, to create a fully functioning website. Additionally, having never met everyone in the team before, we managed to work on a project without any conflicts in the team, and when problems arose, everyone worked cooperatively.

What we learned

Cooperation, building fast relationships with members we hadn't met in the past; and of course, programming.

What's next for Batterecycle

In the future, we hope to provide information on all commercially available batteries. So far, we have only created the concept, but have not included factually correct information on real batteries. We would also like to extent the recycling point information to the entire world, rather than only central London. The most important thing in the future is to convince battery manufacturer to print QR codes for each type of battery for easy evaluation of the battery and to make recycling more efficient, removing the need to sorting centres and making the recycling process specific to each battery type.