Electronic Waste : Electronic Waste is a term used to describe all types of old, end-of-life or discarded electrical and electronic equipment. It is considered hazardous waste as it contains toxic materials or can produce toxic chemicals when treated inappropriately.
Inspiration
Our inspiration for this project was when we read an article by the World Health Organization outlining the detrimental effects of electronic waste. We were appalled by how many people were being impacted, especially those in vulnerable locations. We were also inspired by the lack of information and solutions that currently exist for this problem. As a result, we felt it was our responsibility to come up with an effective solution that would incentivize people to dispose of their electronic waste correctly. The statistic that was the most jarring was that only 17% of global E-waste is properly collected and recycled every year. It was clear that the reason there was an abundance of electronic waste in our landfills was due to the lack of proper recyclization from consumers. There is where our idea comes in.
What it does
Our solution is an application that incentivizes users to sustainably dispose of their electronic waste through recycling. We have designed an application that makes the process quick and easy. Users simply need to login to their account, then select the items that they will be recycling, and order a pickup which will cause one of our partnership companies to come pickup the user's E-waste so that it can be delivered to its appropriate location. Partnerships play a crucial role in the implementation of this solution. Collaborating with not for profit organizations such as Trash For Peace for curbside pickup provides a convenient and efficient way for consumers to dispose of their e-waste responsibly. Furthermore, forging alliances with specialized firms like E-Solutions USA enables the extraction of valuable metals from e-waste through advanced processes like microwave pyrolysis. Such partnerships leverage the expertise and resources of each stakeholder to create a comprehensive and effective e-waste management ecosystem.
The economic viability of this solution is underscored by the significant value inherent in e-waste, particularly in terms of precious metal content. Gold, a key component in electronic circuitry, presents a lucrative opportunity for recovery and commercialization. By leveraging technologies like microwave pyrolysis, it becomes possible to extract gold from e-waste at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional mining methods. From this extraction, we will sell the gold to luxury jewelry companies and then we will take the earnings we obtain from them, and give portions to the users who have recycled their gold.
The financial calculations associated with gold recovery from e-waste highlight the substantial returns achievable through this solution. With an estimated 7% of the world's gold contained in e-waste, the value proposition becomes even more compelling. By investing in the necessary infrastructure and technology for gold extraction, stakeholders stand to reap significant returns on their investment, with potential ROIs exceeding 1000%.
Furthermore, there are significant environmental benefits to this solution as it will reduce the toxicity in landfills. By diverting e-waste from landfills and extracting valuable metals for reuse, the process contributes to resource conservation and reduces the environmental footprint associated with traditional mining activities. While only 2% of landfill waste is E-Waste, 70% of the toxicity in a landfill derives from E-Waste. This disproportionately high number is eye-opening and emphasizes the need to reduce e-waste in landfills. Additionally, the adoption of sustainable practices such as microwave pyrolysis minimizes energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, aligning with global efforts towards a circular economy and carbon neutrality.
How we built it
The prototype of our idea was built through the use of Figma. There are multiple features within Figma that were used in order to make this a functional and aesthetically pleasing application. We have linked the interactive prototype along with our submission, feel free to look through it. Figma is a popular website used to design websites and applications. We created multiple different pages within our application such as the home page, the ordering page for the pick up truck, the profile page, menu, shoutouts, etc. These pages are essential to the application as they individually have their own uses. For example, our ordering page is where the user can order a pickup for their electronic waste as well as see how far the driver is. On their account they will be able to see how much money they have made from proper recycling of their electronic waste which they can deposit into their bank account.
Challenges we ran into
Convincing users to adopt a new application and change their behavior regarding e-waste disposal can be challenging. Despite the incentives offered, some users may be reluctant to engage with the app due to inertia, lack of awareness, or skepticism about the effectiveness of recycling programs. However, we will combat this by creating multiple social media accounts and leveraging our experience in marketing as well as consistent users of social media to encourage people to download our app to join the cause. Some examples of accounts we will make are Tiktok, Instagram, and Youtube.
Another challenge that we had run into is figuring out how we were going to make money off of the electronic waste in order to give it to the user as a method of incentivization. However, through thorough research and analysis on the materials by doing a material cost breakdown, we were able to identify the abundance of gold in phones and other electronic devices which we could leverage to luxurious jewelry businesses. There are companies currently that use gold from electronic waste that we have conducted a case study on, proving that this is something that luxury companies would be interesting.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We're proud of the strong presentation that we have come up with together. While only one of us is speaking, the idea, the story, the pitch deck, was a combined effort that we could not be more proud of. This competition has pushed our minds to think outside of the box while also ensuring our idea is economically and technically feasible based on society. We're also proud of ourselves for developing a fully functioning prototype that is interactive and demonstrates our vision brought to life. Neither of us have developed a prototype using Figma before, therefore this challenge pushed us out of our comfort zone allowing us to learn a new skill in the process. We're also proud for spending over 35 hours on our idea in order to make it the most feasible as possible. Pushing our minds to stay focused for such a long period of time and really work hard until the very end has shown us what true dedication and motivation looks like and we're grateful that this experience has helped us see what we're capable of.
What we learned
This experience has taught us a significant amount when it comes to the full process from coming up with a problem, ideating, developing a solution, and bringing the solution to life. This lengthy process requires strong time management and organization skills, especially due to the limit. This project forced us to put our time management skills to the test, which we did through our extensive plan for the full weekend. We also learned more about our own capabilities along with our own strengths and weaknesses. This was especially eye-opening and will be taken into account for future projects to obtain optimal results.
What's next for EcoBlings
The next step for EcoBlings is validating our cost analysis. Then, we are going to reach out to our proposed partnership companies and start discussing with them to seek interest and negotiate deals with them. This tends to be a length process from our past experience, but definitely necessary for properly bringing our solution to reality. As mentioned before, we are going to develop a comprehensive user acquisition and engagement strategy to onboard and retain users for the EcoBlings app. We will leverage social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to raise awareness, generate interest, and drive downloads. Once the EcoBlings app gains traction and demonstrates viability in its initial target market, we are going to explore opportunities for scaling and expansion. We will consider expanding geographically to reach a wider audience, diversifying partnership networks, and introducing new features or services to enhance the app's value proposition. To do this, we will continuously monitor performance metrics, user feedback, and market trends to inform strategic decisions and drive sustainable growth.
Built With
- figma
- prototyping
- ui
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