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‘BinCams’ encourage students to recycle
Computer scientists at Newcastle University have come up with an original way of encouraging students to recycle – using a camera phone and Facebook.
Signing up five households to take part in the study, the aim is to monitor what they throw away and introduce an element of competition to try to improve recycling rates and minimise waste.
Placing a small sensor attached to a camera phone in a kitchen bin, “BinCam” takes a photograph every time the lid slams shut.
The image is then fed directly to the BinCam Facebook page where not only house members but also other BinCam users in the study can see what they’ve thrown away.
The Facebook page adds an element of competition, allowing the student households to compare how their recycling efforts are going.
The project targets students because research has shown that people aged between 18 and 34 recycle less than other age groups.
Scientists said initial results indicated the experiment was a success. Early images showed pizza boxes, beer cans and other rubbish that could have been recycled, they said.
But after two weeks, the experiment showed that the bin is emptied less frequently as less rubbish is thrown away and more is recycled.
“The students said they felt like the bin was watching them and that it definitely made them think twice about what they were throwing away,” said Anja Thieme, a postgraduate computer science student who is leading the project.
“By taking a photograph and uploading it to Facebook, the idea is that we create a platform for self-reflection — a permanent reminder. It’s a bit like having your conscience sat on your shoulder niggling away at you.”
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