Recycling programs to this day are hobbling along at best and have failed in reality. Somewhere around 90% of plastic waste never enters a recycle stream. This is a huge issue with many possible solutions that will need to be interwoven over time. But one such problem/solution is focused on here: Finding
a damned recycling bin.
It seems like even if I want to recycle something whilst out an about I am up a creek. Worst of it all, I may pass a recycling bin empty handed but only later to have something and forgot where that bin was or if there is one nearby. Fiddlesticks! This happens a lot at sporting events, concerts, festivals, city streets, country roads, shindigs, rallies, impromptu gatherings, rodeos...
Enter: Recyclr. It's like a dating app for your trash.
The first part of the idea is boring and the second part of the idea is only slightly less boring. The first part: an app that will spew out the locations of nearby recycling bins on a map and sort them based on material type and quantities accepted. These locations will be fed to the database manually by our developers. Swipe right to match with your favorite bin!
The second part: upon registering in the app, users will be sent a packet of QR stickers. When they come across a bin that isn't listed on the app they can slap a sticker on it and upload the location data and recycling details to the app. Now, this bin will be included in the masterlist and over time the app will become more effective. The more that people use it the more useful it becomes and a crisis may, albeit very marginally, be approached.
Pro: the service will help propel consumer participation and compliance in the recycling economy. Cons: it relies on honest people who care about stuff.