MyClean App

Waste is a Resource found at the wrong place.

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Inspiration

In Ghana, about 12,710 tonnes of solid waste is generated every day, with only 10 percent collected and disposed of properly. Leading waste collection companies in the country are unable to meet the rising demand. Private individuals with tricycles are bridging the gap, however there are a number of challenges such as access to various homes due to poor site plan in most areas. Frequent delays in waste pickups even for households that have subscribed to weekly waste collection services, led us to develop MyClean App.

References https://www.undp.org/blog/ghana-tackles-urban-waste-management

What it does

MyClean App and MyClean Driver App is a mobile application available for both Android and iOS platforms that connects waste collectors to households and businesses enabling seamless order for trash/waste pickups. A user with the need to dispose of waste, sets a pickup location, selects an available driver nearby, and then has the driver show up to pick up the waste (specifically Municipal Solid Waste).

How we built it

MyClean App is built using Google’s Open-Source UI framework, Flutter for the mobile client and relies on a Firebase backend for a variety of services, including Firestore, Crashlytics and Messaging. It uses a number of SDKs and APIs from the Google Maps Platform including Maps SDK for iOS and Android, Geolocation and Places API. Our backend is developed with Nodejs and some of our backend APIs are deployed on Google Cloud Run.

Challenges we ran into

  • Cost of Google Maps Platform during building of the MVP, however we applied to the Google for Startups program, which is now providing us with cloud credits to build this solution.
  • We started out without a UI designer during the early stages, hence we struggled with design choices. We now have an experienced UI designer on the team.
  • Internet Connection is poor in many areas of the country, this caused notable issues on the mobile client, we had to factor in such scenarios to improve the app’s performance.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • As a relatively new business venture, we have had the opportunity to be a part of a local entrepreneurship program which supported us with mentorship, training and initial funding.
  • We have successfully been accepted to obtain cloud credits from both Google for Startups and Microsoft for Startup Founders to use a number of services on GCP and Azure.
  • We have started a pilot of the application in Accra, Ghana. Collecting user feedback and continuously shipping improvements to increase app performance.
  • The pilot program is being funded by community support, we created a crowd-fund and the response we are receiving is remarkable, people are eager to see the solution.

What we learned

Technical Development: We have learnt a great deal about integrating the Google Maps SDKs both on the client and server-side.
Entrepreneurial Learning: We have learnt how to create a business model, pitch to investors and market our product as we develop MyClean.
Team Building: We have incrementally built a solid team overtime through networking and strong collaboration.

What's next for MyClean App

  • Ability to schedule for one-time or recurring waste pickups
  • Partnerships with recycling companies so that collected waste is provided to them directly
  • Encouraging segregation of waste by incentivizing clients

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