Our logo, mascot, and everyone's friend, Binny Boy!

Bin Buddy: Your Trashy Bestie!

Inspiration

Around 80% of items in landfills could be recycled. We were inspired to lower this percentage. Once people can more easily tell what can and cannot be recycled, they will recycle more, thus increasing sustainability and helping the environment!

What it does

Meet Bin Buddy: Your Personal Waste Sorting Companion! Bin Buddy goes beyond an app; it's your ally in creating a cleaner, greener world. With a single tap, our AI technology identifies and categorizes your waste into compostable, recyclable, and non-recyclable, simplifying your journey to sustainable living. Wave goodbye to waste confusion and hello to easy, eco-friendly disposal. Bin Buddy is not just about sorting trash; it's about transforming habits, educating users, and fostering a community committed to reducing landfill impact. With Bin Buddy, recycling and composting become second nature, empowering you to make a real difference. Join us in transforming every choice into a step towards a more sustainable future. Bin Buddy: Saving the Earth—one tap at a time.

How we built it

We developed Bin Buddy using React Native to create a cross-platform mobile app, ensuring it works seamlessly on both iOS and Android devices. To identify and categorize waste, we integrated the Google Cloud Vision API for its reliable object detection capabilities. The design and user interface were crafted with Figma, enabling us to visualize and iterate on our app's design efficiently.

Challenges we ran into

Our initial challenge was the integration of a PyTorch ResNet-50 model for object detection, which faced accuracy issues. Switching to the Google Cloud Vision API solved this but required us to navigate a steep learning curve. Additionally, diving into mobile app development with React Native presented its own set of challenges, given its complexity and our team's limited experience in this area.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're proud of mastering React Native for app development and successfully integrating the Google Cloud Vision API, which was pivotal for the app's functionality. The creation of a visually appealing interface in Figma, despite being newcomers to the platform, and our effective teamwork throughout the process, stand out as significant achievements

What we learned

We learned how to use Figma, how to use Google Vision API, and how to effectively work together as a team.

What's next for Bin Buddy

Next, we want to add a feature where the user can see the reduction in their carbon footprint, both per object and in total throughout their use of the app. We want to help users be even more aware of their impact on the environment, and how using our app significantly reduces their negative impact!