Prox-Recycle Edu

AI recycling missions for schools and workplaces — no hardware. Scan an item, learn how to recycle it, earn points. Admins get live ESG metrics on Vercel + Amazon DynamoDB.

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Inspiration

Recycling infrastructure is expensive. Many schools and workplaces in emerging markets can't afford reverse-vending machines or smart bins. At the same time, recycling education is fragmented and unmeasurable — students don't know what's recyclable, participation isn't tracked, and institutions can't prove environmental impact for ESG reporting.

What it does

Prox-Recycle Edu turns recycling education into measurable action with two surfaces:

  • Participant app: scan a recyclable item, get instant AI coaching on the material and how to recycle it correctly, earn points, and climb a class/team leaderboard.
  • B2B admin dashboard: real-time metrics (total scans, active participants, CO₂ saved), ranking charts, a mission builder, and an auditable activity feed for ESG disclosures.

No hardware required — any institution can launch a recycling program in minutes.

How we built it

  • Frontend: Next.js 16, React 19, Tailwind CSS v4, shadcn/ui, Recharts — deployed on Vercel.
  • Backend: Next.js API routes (auth, scan, missions, leaderboard, admin dashboard).
  • Database: Amazon DynamoDB (ProxRecycleDB), single-table design with composite PK/SK:
    • USER#<id>/PROFILE and EMAIL#<email>/USER created atomically with TransactWriteItems on register
    • SESSION#<tokenHash>/METADATA with ttl for DynamoDB TTL cleanup
    • SCAN#<ts> with concurrency-safe UpdateItem ADD totalPoints
    • MISSION#<id>/METADATA
    • Access via the AWS SDK for JavaScript v3 (@aws-sdk/lib-dynamodb).
  • AI: OpenAI GPT-4o-mini vision (optional) with a demo-safe mock fallback.
  • Infra: scripted table creation + least-privilege IAM policy, with a dedicated IAM user for the Vercel runtime.

Challenges we ran into

  • Designing a single-table schema that serves user lookups, sessions, scans, and missions.
  • Concurrency-safe point increments (chose UpdateItem ADD over read-modify-write).
  • Secure sessions: server-side SESSION# records + httpOnly cookies; never trust the client.
  • Clean Vercel ↔ AWS wiring with least-privilege credentials (no root keys in the app).

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Real DynamoDB-backed auth, sessions, and atomic transactions — not a mock.
  • A B2B dashboard that produces auditable, ESG-ready engagement data.
  • Zero-hardware deployment: live on Vercel + DynamoDB with on-demand billing.

What we learned

  • DynamoDB single-table modeling and access-pattern-first design.
  • DynamoDB TTL, transactions, and atomic counters for production-grade behavior.
  • Wiring Vercel environment variables to AWS with least-privilege IAM.

What's next for Prox-Recycle Edu

  • Multi-tenant org accounts and role-based admin permissions.
  • A dynamic campaign builder and submission review queue.
  • Verified physical drop-off events and a sponsor rewards marketplace.

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