Last Straw

Photo by Justin Hofman/Wildlife Photographer of the Year, 2017

Inspiration

Single-use plastics are one of the biggest issues humans have imposed upon the planet. Microplastics have found their way into the bodies of tiny animals in the deepest parts of the ocean. Though it doesn't solve the bigger problem, reducing or even eliminating our personal plastic waste is one way to keep the problem from getting bigger.

So we've created an application that allows users to access a map of restaurants and food establishments, with a focus on providing, and collecting info through surveys, on what each establishments' plastic practices are, such as whether the location uses compostable to-go containers.

What it does

The app maps restaurant locations and provides a profile for each which includes whether they use Styrofoam, plastic straws, single-serve condiments, and whether they have compostable to-go containers. The profile also has a button where users can fill out a short survey to update or add data for a location.

How we built it

With lots of love.

Challenges we ran into

No real easy or obvious data source. No centralized reporting or data collection on this topic could be found.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We have a working app!!!

What we learned

We can create a functional app in 24 hrs with real ethical implications!

What's next for Last Straw

Collecting/obtaining real world data, expanding to non-food plastic usage, directory services (Yelp) incorporating our data, partnering with businesses and organizations to generate data and provide incentives for users and businesses.