CleanBronx – Map. Claim. Clean.

🌍 About the Project

CleanBronx – Map. Claim. Clean. is a community-powered web platform built to tackle the growing issue of unattended trash in public spaces. The idea is simple: citizens (users) can report garbage hotspots by marking them on a live map, while volunteers can view these reports, claim them for cleanup, and earn points for their contributions.

💡 Inspiration

We were inspired by the rising need for cleaner neighborhoods and the lack of structured systems that empower everyday citizens and volunteers to take part in maintaining public spaces. While there are many complaint-based apps, few offer a way for the community to take action themselves in a gamified and organized way.

⚙️ How We Built It

We used HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for the frontend.
Firebase Authentication manages login and registration for users and volunteers.
Firebase Firestore stores user reports, volunteer claims, and leaderboard data.
Leaflet.js was used to display interactive maps where:
- Users can report a trash spot.
- Volunteers can view, claim, and update spot status.

The entire project was developed with responsiveness and simplicity in mind to encourage community engagement.

🚧 Challenges We Faced

Differentiating workflows and dashboards for users vs. volunteers.
Managing real-time map updates between Firestore and Leaflet.js.
Ensuring secure role-based access and clean UX across multiple pages.
Structuring Firebase collections to efficiently handle spot reports and claim history.

🎓 What We Learned

Hands-on experience with Firebase Authentication and Firestore.
Integrating Leaflet.js for real-time map interactivity.
Implementing real-time data sync between users and volunteers.
Importance of intuitive UX when building community-facing applications.
Designing gamified systems like a volunteer leaderboard to boost motivation.

🙌 Impact

CleanBronx encourages collaboration between local citizens and volunteers, giving both the power and the tools to create cleaner surroundings. It's not just a tool — it’s a movement for cleaner cities.