🌟 Inspiration
Our teammate spoke with the Mayor, who shared that Markham has already achieved an impressive 80% waste diversion rate — but the ultimate goal is 100%! According to https://www.earthday.org/how-our-trash-impacts-the-environment/: "Bad trash management could be the downfall of humanity, wildlife, and the health of all ecosystems. If emissions from landfills continue to increase as projections forecast, our climate will not only be negatively impacted, but human health will be too. It’s a sobering fact that even though high-income countries only account for 16% of the world’s population, they are responsible for around 34 percent, or 683 million metric tons, of the world’s trash." That’s where DumpItLikeItsHot ♻️🌍 comes in! Our web app transforms a serious problem into a fun and impactful solution.
🎮 What it does
DumpItLikeItsHot gamifies trash disposal. Users scan items to see whether they belong in the trash 🗑️🚮, recycling ♻️, or compost 🍂, earning experience points (XP) along the way. A dynamic map 🗺️ tracks where waste has been collected and what type it was, while a leaderboard 🏆 showcases the top performers. By blending gamification with real-world action, our app motivates communities to keep streets cleaner and healthier, all while having fun 😄.
🛠️ How we built it
Our tech stack combines:
- Frontend: React ⚛️
- Backend: MongoDB, Python 🐍, and Express
- Image detection: Gemini 📸
- Classification & disposal info: TensorFlow with the COCO model 🤖
- Mapping: Leaflet 🗺️
⚠️ Challenges we ran into
At one point, the app mistakenly detected a person as trash🗑️🚫, we fixed that! Implementing the Leaflet map 🗺️ was tricky at first, but with guidance from a mentor, it’s now fully functional ✅.
🏅 Accomplishments we’re proud of
We’re especially proud of the pixel avatars🧍♂️and smooth animations ✨, they make the experience fun and engaging.
📚 What we learned
This project taught us how to integrate AI 🤖 with real-world applications, the importance of mentorship 🧑🏫, and how gamification 🎮 can encourage positive environmental behavior 🌱🌍.
🚀 What’s next for DumpItLikeItsHot
Our next steps include transforming it into a fully functional mobile app 📱 with offline capabilities, ensuring a seamless experience across devices, and incorporating additional gamification features 🎯 to make trash disposal even more rewarding. Users will literally be saving the planet 🌍, one item at a time 🧍♀️🚮♻️!
Built With
- coco
- express.js
- gemini
- leaflet.js
- mongodb
- python
- react
- tensorflow
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