Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1100407
04.04.19 TRENDSETTERS What inspired the idea to develop the Bin It mobile app? As a team we all thought of the new waste collection sys- tem and of the confusion and chaos that it caused in the last few months since it had been in- troduced. We were tired of see- ing posts everywhere on social media with photos of garbage bags left on the street, with big red stickers signifying they were placed outside on the wrong collection day, so we decided to act on this issue. In which ways will it be helping with waste separation? Bin It helps people adhere to their environmental responsi- bilities by guiding them through lists of what should go in which bag and by notifying them on what bag should be taken out in which days according to their respective localities. Also if one faces any waste collection is- sues – for instance, if any gar- bage bags that should have been picked up still remain on the streets – they may report the problem using the app. Did it take long to programme and get it fully fledged for people to download? It took a couple of months to fully plan the app and decide on what features should be added, as well as adding it onto the Google Play Store and fi xing all bugs. However this process is still on going as we are con- stantly updating it and thinking of new ways to improve it. This is a new app – how has the initial take-up been, in terms of download and general interest shown in your project? When receiving feedback about our initial idea we noticed that most people were very in- terested and liked the idea of having an app that reminds you of the waste collection schedule. We did our best to accommo- date the needs of the general public in terms of app function- ality and, with the app now pub- lished on the Google Play Store we still are receiving feedback and we are constantly trying to improve our app. e general feedback we re- ceived was all positive and we are very happy with the direc- tion in which the app is going. It has a score of 4.1 score on Android from 27 reviews, and has just reached 650+ active downloads. We are also work- ing to make the app available on Apple Store shortly. Can people who are not tech savvy use it easily? e app was made with every- one in mind. So while designing it was specifi cally designed to be easy enough to be used by all, including by those who are not very familiar with technology. It is a very simple app made for all ages. All that is needed is to select one's respective locality and the timetable will be given daily through notifi cations with no further input. Are there any other ways you would consider expanding in your efforts to use technology to address waste issues in Malta in the future? is possibility is open to us. Yet for now we are focusing on developing our applications ful- ly. Since we believe that the fi rst step to improving the waste is- sue in Malta is by fi rst changing the way people see this respon- sibility so that everyone does their part to fi x this problem. Bin It for Android can be downloaded from this link: https://goo.gl/svhXhR Meet the students behind a mobile app to help make sense of the waste collection schedule Bin It is a mobile app designed to help Maltese households easily make sense of the island's new waste collection system. It was created by a group of seven Junior College students, aged 16-17, for a project as part of the Company Programme by JAYE Malta (formerly known as Young Enterprise). BUSINESS TODAY spoke to the teens to discover what drove them to produce this app Bin It helps people adhere to their environmental responsibilities From left to right: Michela Micallef, Malcom Vassallo, Luke Borg, Katya Golovkin, Jan Delicata and Phillip Engelbert