trash.py
trash.py is a smart waste bin which automatically detects and segregates landfill and recyclable to establish a better method of waste management. It's vision is to increase recycling and improve user’s experience while disposing waste inside the campus buildings at University of Michigan.
Role
Project Manager
UX Lead
Project Context
Jan - Apr 2022
Innovation in Action Competition
3 Team Members
Tools
Adobe XD
Python
CAD
Inspiration?
This journey started with just an idea in my head and made up to the Finale at Innovation in Action. It's true when people say that inspiration lies right in your surroundings.
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Even after bins in the university buildings have pre provided instructions on where and how to dispose different types of waste, this was the situation observed by me at different occasions.
91%
of plastic doesn't get recycled and just sits in the landfills annually!
Now, the big question is how to increase recycling and improve user’s experience while disposing waste inside the campus buildings?
![[CITYPNG.COM]HD Macbook Pro 16 Mockup PNG - 2644x1552.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/573069_0e055c7d04674c86bb27fad109f33e5b~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_173,y_102,w_2296,h_1331/fill/w_973,h_564,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/%5BCITYPNG_COM%5DHD%20Macbook%20Pro%2016%20Mockup%20PNG%20-%202644x1552.png)
Recruitment
I knew that to develop an impactful solution, I would require my prototype to be well designed from both software and hardware perspective.
Hence, I decided to get 2 amazing peers onboard, one with knowledge of Machine Learning, Computer Vision and another with sense of Design and Manufacturing. This project was also used by both the peers as a capstone project of their degree.
Process
Research
Listening Sessions with Stakeholders
Survey
Analysis
Market Analysis
Design Heuristics
Design
DL Model
CAD Model
Lo-Fi Prototype
Mobile App
Testing
Prototype Testing
Future Scope
At this stage, it was important to understand pain points of various Stakeholders to develop a broader perspective of the issues.
RESEARCH
Listening Sessions with Stakeholders
Various stakeholders like Office of Campus Sustainability, project teams like ContaMiNot, Janitorial Staff and ME Professors were interviewed and we found out the following:
40%
of recyclables are contaminated on campus!
There are many recyclables that could be salvaged.
People can’t decide where to throw their waste.
Sometimes the whole system just breaks down.
At the same time, it was important to capture crucial information from common users of waste bins on campus like Students and Janitorial Staff.
Survey
59 students successfully responded to our survey and following where the learnings: