ReMo App

Inspiration

We realized that the biggest issue around recycling is not knowing what can be recycled and how it should be recycled. Together, we have constructed our idea of ReMo, an app that helps make recycling plastic easier. Through the app’s scanning capabilities, users will be able to efficiently make use of recycling bins and local recycling centers. ReMo makes participating in recycling efforts more approachable.

What it does

Tab 1: Home page

The home page of our app includes the user’s recycling stats as a button. When the user presses the left button of the home page they are taken to a page where their weekly recycle goal and images of the items they recycled for the day are shown. The button to the right of the previous one takes the user to another page which shows a series of bar graphs of their weekly progress on recycling items. The fun fact feature of the home page keeps the user engaged in learning about recycling. The “settings” button lets the user access their username, password, set their location, weekly recycling goal, and edit profile picture. Lastly, the “view history" button allows the user to see the exact amount of plastic, paper, glass etc. they have recycled. Under each category the app lists the type of plastic, paper, or glass item they recycled.

Tab 2: Scan

The second page of the app is a scanner function that would have multiple classification uses. The user is able to choose between three distinct scanning functions. The first is a barcode scanner that works to identify the recyclability of an item through their barcode. Similar to the first, the second also functions to identify recyclable and non-recyclable material but is able to scan the full item rather than the barcode. This is to accommodate items that do not necessarily have a barcode through which identification could be facilitated. The third scanner type works as an informational guide to plastic recycling symbols. This option scans the item for any recycling symbols and upon identifying the symbol provides the user with information on the symbol’s significance. All three scanning features allow users to choose to automatically scan the item or manually take a picture. To further facilitate the use of the barcode scanner, users can also manually enter the barcode number instead of scanning for the barcode. The options described are accessible through a button at the bottom of the respective scanner page. For the first two scanner features, after successfully completing a scan users are sent to a page with information on the item, recycling instructions, item alternatives, and an option to be directed to the nearest recycling centers via the app’s map. Upon completing a scan for the third scanner function users are sent to a page with an image of the identified symbol along with symbol name, information, and the button option of being directed to the nearest recycling centers via the app’s map. For the cases where a scan cannot be successfully completed a message is displayed at the top of the scanner with the most probable reason for the unsuccessful scan.

Tab 3: Map

The third page of the app is a map feature that provides the location of every recycling drop-off center that is local to the user. The user can also sort through recycling centers that they like or have searched previously. There is also a filter button to provide the user a way to find recycling centers that accept the type of material that the user wants to recycle, whether that is aluminum, cardboard, glass, types of plastic, or etc. If the user has a location set to their profile, then local recycling centers will automatically be shown to the user when they open the map page. Alternatively, if the user wants to search up recycling centers in a different location, then they can do so, and the recycling centers in the new area will be shown. The user may click on any location they decide to visit. Doing so, the app will show a preview of the recycling center with an option to add the location to the user's favorites and options to contact the center by email or phone. This preview is provided so the map behind the information can position itself around the area of the drop-off center, giving the user a better idea of where the center is. For additional information, they can drag up the tab and more information will be provided, including the link to the center's site if they have one, the hours that the center is open for, and the items that are accepted. If the user wants to get directions then there will also be an option. By clicking the “get directions” button, the user will get an option to be redirected to their phone's maps app where they will be given directions.

How we built it

We want the user to have an easy experience navigating through the app so we used Figma to design our app and the logo. We chose a theme and a specific color palette that would fit in with the idea for the app. Using Figma helped create a flow for our app and helped us visualize how our app would work seamlessly when it will be coded in the future.

Future App Development

In order to build our prototype, we plan on using a diverse dataset of images containing both recyclable and non-recyclable objects. This dataset will encompass a wide range of objects, lighting conditions, angles, and backgrounds. Additionally, the images will be labeled with its corresponding class (recyclable or non-recyclable). We discussed that using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) would be a suitable machine learning model for image classification. We plan to proceed with a waste classification dataset on Kaggle which fulfills all our requirements and has both training datasets and test sets for us to adjust and evaluate the model. After our model is trained, we will use Python to integrate the model with our app, which will be designed using our prototype as a guide for developing a user-friendly interface.

Challenges we ran into

We are all relatively new to the app design and development process. For the majority of us, this is our first hackathon! This means we had to learn so many new skills—everything from using Figma, to researching ML models— in a short timeframe.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re so proud that we were able to create a cohesive app prototype based on a topic we thoroughly researched and are passionate about. Despite this being very new to us, we were able to work together to use our existing skills and knowledge to come up with a solution to a very pressing problem in our communities.

What we learned

During this experience, we not only learned technical skills such as prototyping an app in Figma, creating a development plan for executing our app prototype, and developing a GTM strategy, we also gained confidence in our ability to learn any technical skills needed to execute a solution for a current issue in our world.

What's next for ReMo App

ReMo is an application for all ages that makes recycling fast and easy. The app targets people who do not have proper recycling knowledge and require guidance. Although, it can still aid individuals of all experience levels with features such as personal recycling statistics. The app will be publicly available for free on the App Store and Google Play Store in the US, making it easily accessible. It will be promoted through advertisements educating people on the importance of recycling as well as current recycling statistics. Once the app is successful in the U.S., it will be expanded to other countries with high levels of plastic waste. As such, our app will be adapted in compliance with local recycling guidelines to provide accurate information. Additionally, because our company intends to reach a wide audience, our app will need to be scalable. We will achieve this through horizontal scaling and ongoing performance tests that ensure an excellent user experience. ReMo will continue to grow its user base in an effort to increase the percentage of plastic recycled globally.