An alternative eco-friendly solution for trash collection
Leaf Cycle
A student-led entrepreneurial team addressing environmental issues, specifically climate degradation and river pollution resulting from debris flying away due to overflowing trash cans.
Problem
Improper Waste Collection Systems' Impact On Climate Change
Public overflowing of trash is a problem that not only impacts public hygiene but also impacts the environment. The fly-away trash can litter the streets can travel to rivers, and pollute the ocean. The pollution will endanger marine species, and pose a threat to the marine ecosystem. Yet these problems are not caused by a mere coincidence, but rather an unintentional action. Out of the 176 people we surveyed across the globe, 85% admitted that they would throw their trash into a trash can even if it overflows. In other words, people tend to possess the simple desire to throw trash away at the nearest trash can. However, when the trash can is full, they drop the trash into the full trash can, hoping it will safely travel to the dumpster, thus leading to trash overflow.
Currently, there are not many solutions on the market that mitigate the phenomenon of trash overflow. The causes of trash overflow in the current stage can be broken down into two main issues: an ill-managed pick-up routine and a lack of prevention for trash overflow.
Leaf Cycle addresses both.
Our Solution: Leaf Cycle
Leaf Cycle is a new-generation trash can that can weigh the amount of trash in the trash can and determine when and where it should be dumped out. This will significantly eliminate trash in public spaces, such as arcades, stadiums, and amusement parks, where there might be massive trash production but limited management forces.
Impact
Project Invent Demo Day X
Explorer Award
Demo Day X is a milestone event in every Project Invent student’s journey. These events, hosted every Spring, provide students with an opportunity to showcase their creativity, receive feedback from experts, and potentially win funding to expand the impact of their inventions!
Project ECHO
3rd Place Products Award
Project ECHO’s High School Entrepreneurs’ Business Plan Competition simulates the real-world process of entrepreneurs soliciting start-up funds from investors. On competition day, teams present their start-ups to a panel of judges who will collectively evaluate the quality of the written business plans, along with the presentations.
News
