Zero Waste Punjab

Offline-first BLE+QR waste logistics turning every citizen into a rewarded zero-waste hero. No internet? No problem—community verifies, workers optimise, Punjab stays clean.

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Inspiration

Punjab generates over 50,000 tonnes of waste daily, yet in peri‑urban and rural union councils, collection efficiency can be as low as 25%. The existing Suthra Punjab programme has deployed thousands of bins and GPS‑enabled trucks, but the last mile remains blind: no one can verify if a bin was actually emptied, and workers in low‑connectivity areas cannot use digital tools that demand constant internet. We saw a paradox—millions of citizens carry smartphones that could solve the problem, but the technology was not designed for their reality. We asked: What if every citizen became a sensor, and every bin could tell its own story, even without internet? That question became Suthra Saathi.

What we learned

What it does

Core Capabilities

  1. Smart Bins That Broadcast Their Status Every waste bin is equipped with:

BLE beacon – Transmits fill level, battery status, and unique BinID every 30 seconds.

QR code – Printed on the bin for manual scanning, enabling verification and reporting even without BLE.

No internet required. Bins simply whisper their status; nearby phones listen.

  1. Automatic Community Detection (Passive) Residents with the Suthra Saathi app installed become living sensors.

The app runs in the background and automatically detects nearby bins via BLE.

It logs BinID, fill level, timestamp, and GPS location—without the user ever opening the app.

This creates a real-time, distributed waste-monitoring grid powered entirely by the community.

Example: Ayesha walks to the bus stop. Her phone silently captures data from 7 bins along the way. She earns 1 point per bin—without lifting a finger.

  1. QR-Based Verification & Reporting (Active) Citizens and workers can actively verify or report issues by scanning the QR code on any bin.

  2. Offline Route Optimisation for Workers Collection teams receive pre-computed routes downloaded at the depot each morning.

The app re-ranks remaining stops in real-time based on bin fill levels and community reports.

  1. Dual-Source Verification & Trust Scores For every bin, the system collects two independent data streams:

Worker report: Marked "Collected" via QR scan.

Community reports: Multiple residents verify or dispute via QR/SMS.

  1. Gamified Rewards System Every contribution earns Suthra Points (SP) that can be redeemed for real-world benefits.

  2. SMS & USSD for Feature Phones Residents without smartphones are not left behind.

BIN123 COLLECTED BIN123 NOTCOLLECTED BIN123 OVERFLOW

USSD Menu:

Dial *123#

  1. Verify Collection
  2. Report Overflow
  3. Report Missed Collection Enter Bin ID: ___

How we built it

We are not building it now. It is a complete system which needs a manpower and funds for sensors, beacons etc. We are going to share the architecture, design and workflows.

Challenges we ran into

N/A

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Able to architect a ZERO Waste Punjab with Less Money to Spend and more waste to collect

What's next for Zero Waste Punjab

To build and deploy the whole system

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