SBB eCup

Inspiration

More waste is being produced now than ever before. Paper and cardboard tends to account for 25% of the municipal waste produced and we think coffee cups may be a major contribution to that number. There is a serious need for change in the way we produce and handle our waste and this system could be extremely beneficial.

What it does

Customers can buy a reusable cup with their coffee from any vendor within an SBB station. These cups can then be deposited in any deposit bin in an SBB station, and the customer will then be reimpursed for their initial purchase. We will provide a high level design for the system including proposals for the design of the deposit bins, the customer app, and the client used by the vendors. This system allows for customers to use reusable cups without the inconvenience of carrying the cup with them all day.

How we built it

The demo application was built using the vue.js JavaScript framework and the Bulma CSS framework.

Challenges we ran into

We used this event as an oppurtunity to learn new technologies. We ran into difficulties with android development and the use of QR code libraries, and we struggled to implement the applications for all of the parties that would system.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of the design of the proposed system as we believe it could genuinely make a difference if deployed.

What we learned

We gained experience in android development with Java and web app development with vue.js and JavaScript. We learned about using the Amazon Web Services as a part of the backend of systems.

What's next for SBB eCup

Hopefully our proposal will provide some meaningful suggestions that SBB can take into consideration. We would be more than willing to work on this project in the future.