Inspiration
After taking a walk around our neighborhood, we were astonished by the amount of litter scattered around. Among the waste were items that were still in good condition, and even food waste left to rot. We thought about the many people out there who could make use of these items. This led us to conceptualize an application where people can donate their reusable waste, thereby helping reduce litter in our surroundings and aiding those in need.
What it does
DonaWaste offers a platform where individuals can donate items that would otherwise end up in landfills or be carelessly discarded. DonaWaste informs users about the locations where they can drop off or collect donated items and provides a contact person for further assistance. DonaWaste also introduces a gamification system, where individuals can earn points by donating items.
How it’s built
Our backend was built using Django and Python, with SQLite used for storing and organizing data in our database. The frontend was created using a combination of Bootstrap CSS and templates. We incorporated the Google Maps OpenAPI for location services and used Google Cloud for deploying our work.
Challenges
The primary challenge we faced was integrating the Google Maps API, as it was our first experience with it and took us some time to implement. We also struggled with finding a suitable platform to deploy our code, as most of the free options were either unsuitable or unavailable.
What we learned
In creating DonaWaste, we learned that there is much more we need to explore and understand. We learned about the significant social impact that we can make by solving issues in our local community. We discovered that by paying more attention to our surroundings, we can identify problems and potential solutions. Technically, we learned a lot about the challenges of integrating open APIs and deploying applications. Both were new to us and required a steep learning curve.
What’s next for DonaWaste
Our future plans for DonaWaste include adding more gamification features, such as leaderboards and rewarding events, to motivate people to donate more. However, we first need to develop a more robust scoring system that is less susceptible to abuse. We also plan to develop a mobile version of the website to make it more accessible to a broader user base.
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