EcoWiz

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Inspiration

Our journey with Ecowiz started with a simple but frustrating realization: even though most people know that e-waste is harmful to the environment, they have no idea where to dispose of it properly. When we first discussed the issue as a team, we all admitted that we had old phones, chargers and electronic devices just sitting at home because we didn’t know what to do with them. Curious to see if this problem was more widespread, we conducted a survey with students, professors and shopkeepers. The results confirmed our suspicion. Most people, even those who care about sustainability, either don’t know where to take their old electronics or find the process too inconvenient. This led us to the idea of Ecowiz, we saw an opportunity to make an impactful change in e waste segregation through an app that not only helps users find nearby e-waste collection points but also educates them on proper disposal methods and incentivizes them to recycle through rewards.

What it does

Our app, Ecowiz is designed to make e-waste recycling simple, accessible and rewarding. The app provides users with real-time locations of the nearest certified e-waste collection points, eliminating the confusion about where to recycle. It also features educational content, including videos and interactive resources, to help people understand the impact of e-waste on the environment and why proper disposal matters. To encourage participation, we introduced a reward system. Users earn eco coins based on the amount of e-waste they recycle, which can then be exchanged for discounts and coupons from partnered businesses. By turning recycling into an engaging and rewarding experience, we hope to create a long-term habit of responsible e-waste disposal.

How we built it

To Bring our mobile application to life was an exciting but challenging process. We started by researching the e-waste problem in depth, conducting market research to understand what prevents people from recycling, we also went through different research papers and articles in order to gain a deeper understanding of the topic but ultimately our survey gave us the main pin points to identify the biggest barriers, which is the lack of awareness and accessibility to e waste and their locations, then we moved on to designing the app. Since none of us are app developers, we plan on working closely with designers and experts to create a user-friendly interface. Eventhough we have planned and designed all of the wireframes ourselves We need assistance to develop a prototype and make our idea and design come into reality to be tested and gather feedback. The process involves multiple iterations, refining the features to make sure Ecowiz is both effective and easy to use being the prominent one. Finally, we prepare for launching the App, ensuring that the app can seamlessly connect users with reliable e-waste collection services.

Challenges we ran into

Developing Ecowiz came with its share of challenges. The biggest one was time, balancing research, design and testing while making sure everything worked as planned. Collecting accurate data on e-waste disposal trends was also more difficult than expected, as information was scattered across different sources but we were able to gain quite insightful and diverse data through our form. Another major hurdle was the lack of technical expertise within our team. None of us had built an app before, so we had to do extra research and ask for guidance while designing the wire frame. Lastly, it took some time to pinpoint the real problem. Initially, we assumed people just did not care about e-waste, but through conversations and surveys, we realized that the issue was actually about accessibility and that people wanted to recycle but did not know how to.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

One of the biggest achievements of this project is that we were able to identify and address a real gap in e-waste disposal. Instead of just talking about the problem, we created a survey research to know more about electronic waste consumption behaviour of people in Thailand. Unexpectedly, we got 92 responses within just one day. It is a big surprise for all of us. According to our survey, we started to know more in-depth about pain points of electronic waste consumption behavior. Then, we create a practical solution that people can actually use. Developing an app that integrates education, incentives and accessibility into one platform is something we are really proud of. Seeing the wireframe and getting positive feedback reinforced that we were on the right track.

What we learned

Working on Ecowiz taught us that raising awareness alone is not enough to drive action and people need clear and convenient solutions. We also realized that incentives can be a powerful motivator, when recycling becomes rewarding, people are more likely to do it. Most importantly, we learned that collaboration is key. From working with peers to reaching out to experts, we saw firsthand how valuable it is to bring in different perspectives and expertise.

What's next for Ecowiz

The next step for Ecowiz is launching locally and testing the app in targeted regions to see how people use it in real life. The first region where we will implement our project is Thammasat University, our university. We will do the four stages that we mention in How we build it to run this sustainable initiative in our university. We believe that this can be a good role model which others will learn from us. We also want to partner with NGOs to expand outreach and improve education around e-waste management. Strengthening partnerships with businesses will allow us to offer more attractive rewards, making recycling even more engaging. In the long run, we want to scale Ecowiz to reach a larger audience and make e-waste disposal as easy and accessible as possible. Our goal is to create a movement where responsible recycling becomes second nature, helping to reduce the environmental damage caused by improper e-waste disposal.