Technology solution provider C5 Alliance has developed a new app which has been designed by their four bursary students and a Discover Digital Intern to improve recycling rates in Guernsey.
The app was the winning idea at the annual C5 Alliance Idea-athon in April. The competition challenges teams of industry experts including the States of Guernsey Innovation Lab, C5 Alliance employees and bursary students to find solutions to community problems.
This year’s winning solution answered the statement: ‘How can we promote and increase the effectiveness of recycling on island?’
The winning idea, ‘In the Bag’, has been created and presented to a panel of experts. The students – Katie Marquand, Jessica Salisbury, Mike Borman, Rufus Barnes and William Tiffin – have spent the last six weeks creating the new app which aims to improve the efficiency of recycling in the island.
‘In the Bag’ helps islanders understand how to correctly dispose of their rubbish by simply scanning or searching for the item on a smartphone. The easy-to-use app has been made to ensure everyone is able to use it and includes useful information, such as the correct bin night and information on all the waste sites in Guernsey. The students have given the app great thought, ensuring users are able to report items in case they haven’t previously been scanned and alerting the team so the system can be updated with the correct information. The data collected from the app will then be shared with the States of Guernsey in order to improve local recycling.
One of the students, William Tiffin, said: “I have really enjoyed working on the app; my favourite part was working on the web end and data. It’s been a big challenge. It took six weeks to create with three two-week sprints; the last sprint was testing the app.”
The developed app was presented to industry experts at the Digital Greenhouse. Deputy Lindsay De Sausmarez,a member of the Committee forthe Environment & Infrastructure, was one of the Idea-athon judges. She said: “The app is a really exciting opportunity for Guernsey. Recycling is going from strength to strength and this continues the upward climb in making recycling more efficient. The app will especially help with the tricky items we struggle with every day. People still have questions on how certain materials are recycled; this app gives us the power to solve them.”
Charles Christian, Consultant at C5 Alliance, who led the project said: “The students have been great; they have all been very enthusiastic and made a good team. They worked very quickly and in the first two weeks had already built the basis of the app. We are excited to see how the project will develop in the future.
Chris Ash, Head of C5 Guernsey at C5 Alliance, commented: “I’m really pleased with the app! The students have worked hard over the last six weeks to lead the evolution of the app, making it more efficient. I am really proud of them; it’s been brilliant to see how much they have learnt.”
