EcoSnap

Logo for EcoSnap

Inspiration

Only one thirds of the recycle is actually recycled in the United States. It's not because people don't want to, it's because they don't know how. People end up throwing things away hoping it'll be recyclable, or people incorrectly throw things away and it ends up damaging recycling machinery or ends up contaminating recycle streams. Recycling has lots of rules and regulations for it to be successful, those that most people aren't aware of, especially younger kids or in the middle and older generations. Introducing EcoSnap, from which you take a picture, and it'll categorize the waste for you.

What it does

Through the use of Computer Vision, you can capture an image of the item you want to throw away. Then, it'll categorize it for you. If you recycle or compost something, you'll receive points and if you throw something away, you'll have points taken away. This will be a way to track how much you're throwing things away, and will remind you if you need to cut back on consuming. To introduce a social aspect, there is a leaderboard where you can see how you stand with your friends!

How we built it

I used React to build a UI for the front end. I then connected it with my TensorFlow model, which helped categorize the images. Then, I connected it to the backend through SQLite.

Challenges we ran into

Making it user friendly, UI. Working with the backend and making sure it works.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Most of the goals were met- Backend. Accurate categorization. Looks visually appealing.

What we learned

How to use computer vision, backend with React, using machine learning, training the model and using it in a webpage.

What's next for EcoSnap

Keep refining and broadening the service with more features. Improve UI. Transform it into an app to help someone become more "greener", environmentally aware. Currently, the "Snap" feature is for throwing items away, but I want to edit it so it will show local places to deposit items (E.g. compostable or recycling centers which are specialized to accept that specific item, donation drives), and refine the leaderboard idea to open up new ways to make the app social.