Inspiration
As students living away from home, Kingston has different rules regarding their trash bins. We wanted to make a useful and easy app to help us navigate the waste disposal system effectively.
What it does
Bin Buddy makes getting rid of trash super easy. Just take a picture of your item, and the app will tell you exactly where it goes: garbage, blue bin, grey bin or green bin. No more guessing or stressing about where stuff belongs!
How we built it
We built the app using the Gemini API to get the sorting guidelines, with Python to handle the backend. The front end was developed in SwiftUI, allowing us to create a clean and intuitive interface for iOS users.
Challenges we ran into
We faced limitations with API keys, which restricted the number of requests we could make during development and testing. Additionally, SwiftUI occasionally failed to load certain components properly, and despite our efforts, the app currently cannot run on phones due to an unresolved issue.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We’re proud that our Python backend works perfectly, users can upload a picture, and the app identifies the correct disposal bin. Additionally, we learned Swift and built a functional SwiftUI interface in the 36 hours.
What we learned
We learned how to effectively implement and manage API keys and gained hands-on experience with Swift and SwiftUI to build a user-friendly interface.
What's next for Bin Buddy
Once we resolve the issue preventing the app from running on iPhones, we plan to introduce a ranking/status system to reward users for being environmentally friendly. Additionally, we’d like to implement a friend system, allowing users to connect and compete in making sustainable choices together.
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