Its launched! In the various app stores you can now find the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Recycling App (search for 'recycle LF/LB'). I partnered and volunteered my design services in a 4-person team within our local Green Minds LFLB organization to bring this app to life in roughly 2 months of off-time work.
The main goal of creating this app is to help residents think more sustainably about what they throw away vs. recycle or reuse. In order for this to happen, we first have to make residents want to use it. Here are a few ways we ensured the app would become well used and loved.
KEEPING IT LOCAL.
By working directly with the City of Lake Forest, The Village of Lake Bluff, as well as Groot and Swalco (our local refuse and recycling collectors), we gathered various local and current information to help residents know the latest and best practices for refuse and recycling. Once residents enter their address into the app, they only see information relevant to their specific services. By aggregating all local information in one place, we've created a resource for residents to continually learn from.
ANSWERING THE KEY QUESTIONS
Realizing that confusion exists from years of changing guidelines around what items are recyclable, the team worked to create an accurate, current and updatable database of over 500 searchable items that residents can now use to learn the most sustainable way to either recycle or throw away various household items. Today alone, I've looked up coat hangers, egg cartons and toothpaste tubes.
INCLUDES USEFUL TOOLS
I'm ashamed to say how many times I've missed our garbage pick-up and tried running for the garbage truck! NO MORE! We've built in the ability to set an optional reminder to warn residents either the night before, or morning of, their next curbside pick-up.
I sincerely hope residents find this app helpful and inspiring — to act more sustainably.
Shout out to the team!
Christian Rasmussen, Programmer (a junior in high school!)
Azza Andreesen, Data Analyst (tenacious and meticulous)
Yuh Schabacker-Koppel, Project Manager (cat herder extraordinaire)
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