PlanetLife
Creators: Aline, Amina
School: Middle School Students from I.S. 27 Anning S. Prall
Location: Staten Island, NY
Project Themes: Environment & Sustainbility
Project Type: App Design & Applied AI
About this Project
Users log into my app and it helps them throw away trash correctly, and each time the user throws away the trash correctly they get points. Users will scan an item, and the app will use AI to indicate how to manage the waste based on their region/location and the waste management in that area. Once users indicate they have properly disposed of the waste, they will gain points on their profile.
Project Links
What the Judges are Saying
Creating an app that rewards users with points each time they recycle is a brilliant idea—one that I think would resonate with a lot of people. Turning recycling into a fun, game-like experience rather than a chore is a great way to encourage long-term engagement. To strengthen the pitch, it would help to expand on how the points can be used. For example, what if users could redeem them for tickets to local attractions like botanical gardens or zoos? This would not only motivate more people to participate but also reinforce the app’s environmental mission by connecting it with eco-friendly experiences.
Planet Life looks like an exciting and impactful project. You cohesively outlined the problems around pollution and lack of recycling; I'm sure that required a lot of research! With that, you considered how to build an app to support this ever important crisis. I appreciated how you walked the reader through your entire design process - from pen/paper to your digitized submission. As a next step, I would consider 'why' users would be personally motivated to use your app. You set-up a point system, which is a great start, but consider why points would be important to people. Could there be a leaderboard where they can compete with their friends, giving users a social benefit? Could winners be given a physical reward, like a gift or trophy? I love what you all did here and I'm excited to see where you take your project next!
You highlight a really poignant piece of data: most trash is not sorted or disposed of correctly. This is an important learning opportunity for any community member to improve their immediate environment. It would be super interesting to partner with local businesses, or local residences (like apartment buildings) to offer this app on a tablet above where trash is disposed. This way, users can learn what to do, then immediately apply it. It was great to see how you're thinking about using AI to evaluate images, instead of just text.
