Bottles Ping connects people who want to recycle ("pinners") with local collectors who can pick up bottles for cash.
Built with React Native (Expo) for the frontend and Flask + AWS ECS + RDS + S3 for the backend.

Since using the app requires api keys to google maps api you can't build locally without it. Hence, you can try it out on your phone (iOS has most support). Expo Go app MUST be installed on your device prior to copy and pasting the following link to safari (should redirect and build via expo go app)

exp://fqphiwa-anonymous-8081.exp.direct

If you don’t have Expo installed yet, run:

npm install -g expo-cli

cd frontend

npm install

npx expo start --tunnel

⚠️ Tunnel mode ensures the app works on any WiFi network (great for demos or mobile testing).
You can scan the QR code that appears with the Expo Go app on your phone.

The backend is built with Flask, deployed on AWS ECS, and connected to:

• AWS RDS (PostgreSQL) for user, submission, and location data.
• AWS S3 for image storage.

You can find the backend API endpoints inside app.py, which handle:

• /upload → Uploads bottle photos and location.
• /locations → Retrieves active bottle locations.
• /leaderboard → Displays top recyclers.
• /s3info → Returns stored image and metadata.
• /check_user and /add_user → For login and registration.

• Upload photos of bottles with GPS location.
• See nearby pings on a live map.
• Collect recyclables and track your score.
• Leaderboard showing top recyclers.

Frontend: React Native (Expo)
Backend: Flask (Python)
Database: PostgreSQL (AWS RDS)
Storage: AWS S3
Deployment: AWS ECS with Docker

If Expo fails to start, try clearing the cache:

npx expo start -c

Muhammad Ahmed Saw Daniel Aung Khant Moe Kevlam Chundawat Syed Wasef Daiyan Sultan Alzoghaibi