Recycling App

Most Americans recycle, or feel guilty if they don’t. But beyond general knowledge about separating paper from plastics there’s a real lack of knowledge about what can and can’t be recycled. For example, did you know that a bag of recyclables that is contaminated by a single non-recyclable will be thrown out by most sanitation crews? Or that wet cardboard can’t be recycled? Or that most municipalities will throw away (rather than wash and recycle) glass containers that have food particles on them? Chances are good that even if you do know all of this information, lots of people in your community don’t.

Build a simple app that helps educate people as to the recycling rules in your community. Enlist the support of a teacher or community mentor, and then go viral. You’ll raise your profile and, more important, help reduce your community’s environmental footprint.

How do I get started? Down our Stand Out from the Pack - Campaign PDF.

How do I expand this narrative arc? Capitalize on the success of your app by promoting other climate-related urban interventions. For example:

• Launch a White Roof Project in which community buildings with dark roofs are repainted with white elastomeric paint that reflects rather than absorbs heat.

• If you live in a dry climate, launch a Xeri-scaping awareness campaign to promote the use of drought-resistant plants in landscaping.

• If you live in an urban area (or one that has issues environmental contamination), Save the Earth with Sunflowers (which draw heavy metals from the soil).

• Promote energy conservation through Ecolympics.

HOT TIP: This is a fantastic project for a teen interested in both technology and environmentalism. Think about whether there are other community-based interventions that you can promote through other simple app technology.