Stopping Pollution with Rubbishly

How do we stop rubbish accumulating in the environment? How do we manage it? And most importantly, how do we change the narrative and social behaviours around the consumption of products and packaging, so that they don’t end up as pollution in our environment?

Here I’ve written up the rationale and use case behind the development of Rubbishly.

Rubbish is an epidemic

Living in South-East Asia makes it extremely easy to run into rubbish and polluting behaviours which are so open and visually there that you can’t help but be away of it. Years ago, travelling through the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, my friend and I were saddened and disgusted by the amount of rubbish lying around a waterfall in a national park area. I was viscearily annoyed, angry and frustrated. A smug superior side of me admonished “This wouldn’t slide in Australia!”. Years later, I came to understand that there were many factors involved as to why this waterfall was so trashed. And even later, I came to understand more about how these behaviours could be changed for lasting difference.

Ultimately, I understand that to tackle such a problem would require a long-term, multi-pronged push, on many levels of society in order to change littering behaviour. This included lobbying the support of government – local, state & federal, business & manufacturing, and consumers and locals. It sounded overwhelming, and indeed, global pollution – namely rubbish and plastic waste – is an epidemic affecting not just urban areas, but even the deepest parts of the most wild oceans.

Stats & information about plastic pollution

So let’s pull apart some information. Per capita consumption and production of waste in OECD countries continues to rise. And, as developing countries’ growing middle class begin to expect a higher standard of living, plastic and non-resuable waste is sure to grow.

However, this is not a set game, where it is an inevitability which cannot be curtailed. Production and consumption habits and behaviours can change – pollution can be dis-normalised – and still within perfectly acceptable ranges of living comfortably.

How could I make a difference?

After speaking to an accquaince who was dismayed to spend his kayaking trip around the Southern islands of Thailand “swimming with plastic”, I considered more about what could I do about this.

There’s a great deal of good rationale behind joining an already established community and network of organisations who are committed to tacking pollution. Volunteerism and helping to lobby and advocate for changes in laws and regulations works, as does consistent and long-term community awareness building and engagement in anti-littering / greener consumption habits.

I also had the strong urge to flex my ‘tinkering’ muscles and test out a particular concept – to see whether it might be a scalable part of the greater solution.

So I went to basics, took out a lot of variables and considered, what can a traveller with a smart phone do when confronted with a level of pollution around them that just picking up ‘one wrapper’ or can would not even make a dent.

What if we pinned out the pollution on a map? What if we used this to identify the scale of the problem, find where it’s coming from and within who’s jurasdiction it is?  Who’s making the mess, where is it migrating to and what can we do about it on a bigger scale?

Another interesting area which fascinated me was, can we teach machines to see and identify rubbish on a large scale? I left that question for another project to answer.

I was onto something here.

Let’s make an app where you can map the rubbish you see.

And let’s call it Rubbishly!

 

How Rubbishly Works

Rubbishly is a Social Enterprise Platform which leverages Google Maps in combatting littering & rubbish in our environment.

 

See rubbish – take a photo – ID the rubbish – pin drop on Google Maps – You’re done!

 

Combining conscious travellers with a useful App

You’re hiking and come across a waterfall. The waterfall is surrounded on all sides by bright, plastic rubbish. It’s in the water, caught between rocks and tangled in the undergrowth. There’s so much rubbish, you can’t pick it all up in one go.

Dismayed but determined to make a difference, you take out your phone, tap on the Rubbishly icon.

It activates your camera phone and you take photo(s) of the rubbish strewn around.

You then choose from a set of drop down choices on your best bet on what sort of rubbish it is; for example, ‘plastic waste’ or ‘hard rubbish’ (Only a few choices would be presented at first to make it easier to identify rapidly & without fuss.).

Then you pin on the next screen where you are (approximately) within a few meters of the rubbish. After pinning, the information is recorded on the database.

You can personally choose to pick up some of the rubbish, but you also know that you’ve documented the area in general as a problematic hotspot for rubbish and waste dumping. Now, something can be done about the overall problem.

Creating an MVP & User Case

User Case – People with high stakes expectations for a pristine environment.

It was apparent that from the get-go there was already a user case which would fit. All of the people whom I spoke to about rubbish in the environment were travellers or weekend hikers / campers. They expressed dismay over finding huge amounts of rubbish in the places & environments they were travelling to. Although making for an interesting story, they really wanted to see pristine nature.

Travellers and tourists are paying – sometimes a huge amount, compared to their annual income – for once-in-a-lifetime, life changing experiences in destinations around the world. They want to see picture perfect, pure vistas and environments. No matter if they are first time backpackers or seasoned resort travellers, essentially, everyone wants to explore stunning locations.

In the travel industry alone, the demographic mix of who travels and why is as varied and complex as can be. Sure, there are demographics who just want a smooth, relaxing holiday in an all-inclusive resort, not being too interested in deep-diving into the local culture and experiences. This can be compared to generally younger travellers, fascinated and excited by immersing themselves in another language, culture and living experience.

* And although I was only taking anecdotal conversations from the travellers around me, I surmised pretty quickly that absolutely no one wanted to be seeing obvious signs of pollution and waste. As much as someone may get used to it, it was something which everyone could do without (on similar levels as not wanting to catch a food bug). Seeing rubbish and trash in any environment is part of the experience which I have never heard any traveller say they wish there was more of.

Travellers are in the moment, experiencing these places in the now – and they are wholly invested in their visceral experiences. With this mindset, travellers could possibly be the most invested in bringing out their phone and doing something about pollution and rubbish as they see it – than, say a local who’s grown up used to seeing rubbish on a daily basis, or workers who are too busy to spend their time on such activities.

Rubbishly as a Tool for Action

Connecting a pain point (rubbish) to who can help (local council & waste management)

Question: If you couldn’t possibly clean up all the rubbish around you, could you instead photograph it, tag it on Google Maps & use that tag to alert waste management / council to come pick it up?

Engaging council and waste management companies: On the B2C side, it would be powered by user inputs – probably environmentally conscious travellers such as surfers, hikers & backpackers) on an App. On the B2B, it would be in partnerships / possibly even subscription service to councils, waste management groups and other organisations who would pay to know where rubbish is, to either remove it, process it, dump it or recycle it.

With these sets of initial assumptions, next was to get real world feedback.

Gathering Feedback & Engagement Levels

Don’t build anything until you’ve got real, engaged feedback from your target demographic(s).

I could have gone further into analytics, gauging interest levels through AB testing ads for Rubbishly on Facebook etc, but I went straight to asking people in my target demographic, and the answers I got were exactly what I needed to hear.

Target Demographic

The target demographic I spoke to (travellers in foreign countries) were very happy to talk about this and seemed genuinely interested & excited to get in on using Rubbishly. They offered suggestions and additions to the app. I had a few people sign up for the Beta when it would be released, so that was a good sign.

Council

I spoke to a representative of a local council in Melbourne, Australia – they stated that using such software to alert to dumped waste is a very viable concept, and that examples of using such software by council and parks workers themselves has been trialled in a few metropolitan and urban areas in some cases around the world. The representative noted that having an app like this open to the public use – and connected to the council waste management response teams could be a viable idea to further explore. The representative couldn’t comment with experience on countries and cities which were considered ‘developing’, however it was stated that, with proper council connection and engagement with the local community, such an app could act as a connecting platform and tool for further action.

Waste Management

In an email conversation with a small paper waste management company, they noted that this sort of tool could be useful in areas which were under their contract jurisdiction. It could be possible to be used as an alert tool for their clients – i.e. alerting when a particular waste skip needed emptying. This could prove useful especially if a particular client’s skip bin didn’t fill up entirely within a stated weekly sweep of that area by the waste companies’ recycling rubbish trucks, which would then help to conserve fuel and resources by only triggering the call out for disposal when the skip(s) were completely full.

Designing Rubbishly: Business & Product

Challenges

Respecting the UX Process

I tried to turn it into a very simple procedure. Engaging with a User Experience professional would most likely allow these steps to become somewhat automated or to assist in making each step seemless and quick – which could add a degree of gamification to the task.

Gamification in the Real World

And of course, there’s also a bigger direction this could go. Such as re-working the entire project into a gamified ‘adventure’ of hunting for rubbish, much like Niantic’s 2016 Pokemon Go game where you hunt for Pokemon overlayed in the real world, but with real-world benefits.

Machine Learning to ‘see’ Rubbish

Considering Machine Learning in Image Recognition & Tagging

Image recognition is a massive challenge for ML.

And, with many millenials, the idea of creating a massive startup with pays dividends WHILE helping the world in general is a positive boon to thinking. I can assure you, there have been times where I have allowed myself to daydream about creating such an amazing unicorn and startup which makes the world a better place – stating that on my own deathbed, I’ve done my part in saving the world as we know it.

A simple overlay on Google Maps – where you can use the geolocation and pin drop ability of Google Maps, to pin point areas of pollution, waste and areas where there is mess and confusion over the cleanlieness of an area. The pin drop can also be added to a photographic part (i.e take a photograph of the pollution/waste) Using machine learning (photo recognition) – the machine learning AI finds this picture – and with the added part of adding from a drop down menu exactly ‘what’ that particular piece of pollution or waste is (say bin rubbish dumped on the side of a road – or strange chemically smelling yellow foam over a pond) then the machine learning continues to build a visual map of what ‘rubbish’ and ‘waste’ looks, acts and smells like.

Over time, this – along with the data input from likeminded and eco minded people dropping pins over the Google map, the machine learning starts to build its lexicon of what pollution looks like – and then begins to track, find, pinpoint and track it in general. This can be anything from finding thrown out waste from households dumped on the side of the road to spills and other chemical wastage put into natural ecosystems.

Then, the overlay interaction on either a B2B marketplace of waste contract removers, government & council, eco-authorities and other groups who have a standing interest in tracking, mapping, treating & disposing of waste.

This is then used to help in a very direct way – the identification, tracking & safe disposal of wastes around the world.

Google may eventually buy the idea, the startup platform may be integrated with Google Maps as either an add-on or an extra ‘type’ of pin to drop in any given space (i.e. looking at Google Place could even be a very good way to get these parts of pollution in the visual eye and get them being looked at).

So, all I need, is a coder to create this platform – with the focus of putting it into a Google platform and ensuring that it is picked up by a large mapping program/platform/social media organisation.

In the end – the goal is to ensure that the global mapping of pollution and waste is fully tracked on first our solid land and later in our air and in the waters, for citizen ‘pollution trackers’ working hand-in-hand with Machine Learning and AI to focus on the most visual and able to focus on issue of global warming, habitat destruction and threats to health – pollution and waste.

 

Next Steps = Partnerships

Partnering with Councils, Local Government & Waste Management Companies

Ultimately, an app alone will not make much of a change. I could spend my time creating a working, user friendly and smooth API with the hopes of gaining traction on app stores and within social media communities. And that wouldn’t be a bad thing.

However, what makes changes which are far reaching and which last involve connecting and creating heavy stakeholder involvement with many many areas of society, and to work from within – using both carrot and stick approaches – to make the correct legislative, infrastructure, business and culture behaviour changes.

If I sat down and worked out where Rubbishly fit in the greater story of our global pollution epidemic, and if I spoke to enough people to get a stronger grasp of the complexities behind rubbish creation, management & tolerance, then I would have a better understanding of how to get my app to fit in a place and within a network which helped to make long-term, lasting changes for the better.

Some things I could do next:

• Keep talking to user bases (travellers, travel bloggers and travel groups on Facebook, Instagram etc).
• Engage a team of developers to begin piecing together my functional wireframe and platform diagrams into a single operating system, bare-bones working MVP working with Google Maps for semi-accurate pinning & an image database.
• Choose a specific example to test out the app in field, to see whether it works.
• Consider the greater strategy of where Rubbishly fits – both as a concept in a larger story, and as an app.

Something as flashy as using machine learning to parse the images would be something I would discuss with friends in the programming, ML industries, but ML itself would be something I would consider down the track, only once the concept is proved as robust and funding can be raised to develop the imaging ML for it (which is no mean feat).

 

Multi-Level Solutions for a Complex Problem

Building an understanding of the Lifecycle of Rubbish in our Environment

Since the 80’s, people have created a pretty detailed understanding of the rubbish / trash lifecycle. And for a long time, sustained efforts to curb littering and dumping of rubbish, in favour of a ‘closed loop’ of manufacturing, consumption and waste management has been filtered down from law to personal shopping choices. However, it’s still not enough to think you can teach something once and expect permanent, long-lasting behaviour change. Emerging markets and developing countries need to go through the same processes of creating such water-tight loops with both carrot and stick approaches over a consistent and ongoing basis. So, the challenges are complex and ongoing – nothing that Rubbishly will ‘cure’, but still adding to the overall tides of behaviour change.

Rubbishly is an concept which can go so much further than I’ve so far taken it. It’s not copyrighted or held to any patents (well, I couldn’t patent it anyway). Personally, I’d prefer the concept to be copied and used by many, competing groups & organisations. Because healthy competition in the areas of eliminating pollution is the best use of market competition!

Ultimately, Rubbishly was a test, but show what other groups are doing

Some Examples

Litterati is an app which works on Personal habits & picking up rubbish when you see it, controlling littering behaviours with friends & family.

Clean Up Australia Day is an annual national event which has been running for decades. It encourages awareness about litter and to grow national pride in the Australian environment by picking up litter and discouraging the act of littering and dumping.

Across Europe and in some American cities, rubbish ‘water wheels’, such as the Baltimore’s solar powered ‘Mr. Trash Water Wheel’. And on a large, international scale, the ground breaking The Ocean Cleanup is taking this concept large scale.

Laws and Enforceable Regulation

As wonderful as private and not for profit efforts at cleaning up the environment, changing state and country legislation to outlaw use of certain high risk materials and process in manufacturing and usage, packaging materials and the way in which business can conduct business within governing territories. Allowing for enforceable fines for illegal dumping, using restricted materials and processes is key to eliminating wasteful behaviours.

 

Change the Narrative = Make Change

Ultimately, changing the narrative about plastics in industry, daily life and the environment is the greater way in which we’ll move the needle on the issue of plastic-based pollutants and polluting behaviours. As simplified as I can make this – in one non-in depth article – is that we have to make plastic as uncool as possible. Not using plastic and seeking alternatives must not only become highly fashionable, but also be easily accessible to all – a level of equality in purchasing power and in decision-making.

So, what can you do about breaking the cycle of pollution?

Localised

On the personal, localised level, you can play your part in changing the relationship with waste and littering. A few relatively simple behaviour changes – although technically a drop in the global ocean of change, is still a valuable & noble contribution.

These behaviour changes include: –

• At home; Drink tap water. If you wish to buy a filter machine / container, then that’s a plus too.
• At work / university; Bringing a reuasble coffee / tea cup or thermos. Many inner-city cafes will even offer discounts if you bring your own reusable travel coffee cup. Bring a reusable water bottle / thermos to refill as you need.
• Shopping; Use your consumer power while shopping. Bring reusable shopping bags with you – even if you live in a country where plastic bags are still in use. Buy less plastic wrapped items, for example, go for an unwrapped hand of bananas instead of plastic wrapped bananas. Buying metal / glass reusable items such as food containers and straws – although it does add a small amount of extra cleaning time, instills the habit that plastic waste is not the first choice to make. Shopping at farmers markets is also helpful. Voting with your wallet, as well as communicating to companies via social media is absolutely a way to make your voice heard.
• Outside; Bring a rubbish bag with you and always clean up after a picnic or BBQ or camping trip. Take up a habit of collecting rubbish when going on nature walks – it’s healthy & can become a fun feel-good hobby.
• Community & Events; Joining events such as Beach or park clean up days, in Australia, volunteering on the annual Clean Up Australia Day is always a fun, community driven and feel-good event.
• Finding apps such as Rubbishly, Litterati and other where you can alert others to rubbish and waste which you may not be able to clean up yourself.
• Lead by example. Use re-usable materials and packaging when hosting parties & events. You don’t have to actively push this on others, hopefully they pick up on unconscious queues about this, but it doesn’t hurt to acknowledge that you’re trying ‘to go greener’ by making these small purchasing choices. It may help to nudge others who are on the fence behaviourally about it all – though I recommend holding back on smugness, that never got me anywhere personally – that’s for sure.

 

Globally

Organisations need to change their practices.

Not all plastic is created equally. Manufacturing changes towards green processes and biodegradable materials is usually considered as expensive changes – which can eat into the profit margins of traditional business models. However, technology and to cost ratio of adopting biodegradable plastics and reducing non-degradable plastics into business processes is completely doable. It is more a change of culture which is required, which can drive the right change.

Lobbying local, state and federal government is also a useful practice. Citizens have the right to contact their representatives. This also helps government get a gauge of changing expectations and desires of the citizenry, which in turn influences policy and decision-making over time & with consistent effort. At this level, it may be recommended to join / become a member of local organisations which are doing similar work. Strength in numbers, so to speak.

Research has gone into creating new forms of biodegradable plastics.

Methods of converting plastics into fuels, or baseline manufacturing materials is also available.

 

Final Thoughts

I found Rubbishly to be a challenging and interesting project which answered a single problem in the global fight against pollution. It could, on uptake, become an adaptable concept which helps to focus on illegal rubbish and waste management. I could see multiple uses for such a map pinning platform, for use by an end user / consumer as well as in B2B and government applications. It may even be a useful tool in the changing of community perceptions around rubbish and waste in the environment in developing or particularly polluted areas of the world.

Upon speaking to others, this was a generally well received concept with almost limitless areas for growth. Further research has shown that this issue is being tackled by a large amount of companies and organisations. And I would see it being used more in the future – mapping areas of concern and ensuring timely resolution by the appropriate waste management service. It can also expand to helping to pinpoint the sources of pollution in a given area and become a tool to be used in community awareness and advocay organisations on the ground.

Overall, Rubbishly is a great concept, and I enjoyed making it. I’ve learned a large amount, especially in stakeholder engagement and consultation.

The tide against pollution is slowly shifting. At this moment, these shifts are so small, it may seem like an impossible challenge to fight. But I will remain optimistic that positive change is happening and will only compound with time.