Way to Eco is introducing into the UK market an innovative educational-recycling app to help reduce residents’ confusion on what to recycle and how to recycle it. WasteGuru is a UK-prototype of the original app developed to help residents recycle better and more, by giving accurate information immediately and removing the guesswork.
WasteGuru: an easy way to better recycling
Drawing on a growing database, the app identifies the packaging of more than 1 million products through barcode scanning and instantly can match this information with local recycling requirements. The app enables users to enter directly into the items database, including adding new products or making suggestions on any problem spotted.
App benefits
Educate with tailored communications 
Engage and empower end-users/communities
Help increase recycling rates 
Display collection points on map
Link to reuse/repair schemes 
Report environmental issues
Competitive Advantages
- Access to a unique Database with more than 1,6+ million products and a A-Z list with 600+ waste categories
- Thanks to each end-user’s contribution, the Dataset is growing daily. An innovative tool, perfectly in line with the philosophy of smart cities
- A perfect match between recyclable products and the local waste management services
- WasteGuru is available in 10 languages
A Win-Win Tool That
Promotes collaboration and participation in the recycling process
Removes confusion in the sorting process
Improves recyclates quality
Helps reduce GHGs emissions
Boosts recycling/reuse sectors growth
Generates savings for LAs and communities; profit for the private sector
Target Audience
Local Authorities, Waste Management Companies, Private Companies and Higher Education Institutions.
In 2018, WasteGuru was used for a project done in collaboration with a London university. The study aimed at measure the effect of new technologies (WasteGuru) in changing behaviour of people versus recycling.
Experiment details
- 20 participants
- target group: adults aged 18-64, UK residents
- participants were asked to demonstrate steps they would take to dispose of 13 different products difficult to recycle
The test
Participants were asked about their normal approach to gaining information on recycling when moving to a new council. According to the chosen approach, they were:
• supplied with a printed leaflet/looked up the council website
• given a brief verbal explanation
• given no support
In the first phase of the experiment, they were asked to note down every step they would take when disposing of each item, including steps of preparation (e.g. flattening item, and/or separating parts of packaging) and disposing in different bins versus disposing all in one bin accordingly to the info used
In the second phase, they were asked to repeat the same steps, but this time using WasteGuru to assist them in decision-making. Participants were asked to carry out the experiment as naturally as possible and to take notes of what they would do, even if it was in opposition to the app info. This was important to assess if the app could actually change behaviours
Would you like to know more? Contact WaytoEco at info@waytoeco.com or fill in the webform at the bottom of our homepage https://www.waytoeco.com/