The Slovakia-based firm TrashOut is letting environmentally minded consumers take matters into their own hands by reporting illegal dumping activities. Consumer-generated waste is a huge environmental problem -- according to TrashOut, our daily plastic waste weighs more than three Empire State Buildings! -- and illegal dumping is an activity that often goes unreported, which means the magnitude of the problem has yet to be fully grasped.
TrashOut, a free mobile app, aims to change this by rewarding consumers with badges for taking steps to report illegal dumping. When they see this happening, users just have to snap a photo, provide a comment and submit them via the app. The activity will appear on TrashOut's 'TrashMap,' which can be viewed on its website. Further, users are encouraged to report the dumping to local authorities to get the trash cleaned up or organize a clean-up themselves, which earns them the best badge of all for their commitment and effort.
Garbage-Reporting Apps
TrashOut Encourages Users to Report Illegal Dumping Activities
Trend Themes
1. Garbage-reporting Apps - The trend of consumer-generated waste reporting through apps presents opportunities for further gamification and incentivization of environmentally-friendly behavior.
2. Illegal Dumping Tracking Technology - The trend towards the use of crowdsourcing and tracking technology for illegal dumping presents opportunities for new technological innovations and partnerships with environmental agencies.
3. Environmental Activism on Mobile - The trend of increasing consumer concern for environmental issues and willingness to take direct action presents opportunities for mobile apps and platforms that facilitate environmental activism and community building.
Industry Implications
1. Environmental Technology - The growing demand for technological solutions to environmental issues presents disruptive innovation opportunities for companies in the environmental technology industry to provide more efficient and accessible tools for reporting and tracking illegal dumping.
2. Social Networking and Community Platforms - The increasing consumer interest in environmental activism presents disruptive innovation opportunities for companies in the social networking and community platforms industry to develop apps and platforms that facilitate activism and community building around environmental issues.
3. Waste Management and Recycling - The trend towards increased consumer awareness of waste production and disposal presents disruptive innovation opportunities for companies in the waste management and recycling industry to develop new partnerships with environmental agencies and incorporate technology for more efficient tracking and handling of waste.