Louisville Metro Recycling

A mobile app that motivates users to recycle and learn about the fundamentals and impacts of recycling through rewards and games. This app also integrates with calendars to set reminders for when trash, recycling, and more will be picked up, allowing users time to set their cans out for pickup. 

While there is an existing mobile app, there is currently no incentive to recycle more and help repair the environment and save our city from heaping landfills.

This case study was a collaborative project with a Code Louisville cohort.
Click here to view a PDF version of this case study.

Problem
Statement

How do you get people within the Urban Service District in Louisville (who have recycling service available) to use it?

While many people have taken responsibility for the environment and take recycling seriously, many people still don’t bother. They have the services available, but the service is flawed, or they may need more education and reminders to ensure they are recycling properly. In this case study, we dive deep and examine Louisville Metro's recycling program. 

Our goal is to create a system in which fewer items are sent to landfills and more recyclable items stay in circulation.

Research

Throughout our research, we found that Louisville's Urban Services District (USD) contains nearly 107,000 households (approximately 40% of households in Jefferson County). Single-family residences and small multifamily properties and businesses in the USD that generate less than six 95-gallon carts of garbage per week are eligible for collection services from Solid Waste Management Services. In 2018, only 18% of all residential waste was sent to recycling.

We also found that the city has an app for waste and recycling called recycle coach and a poster that shows what can and cannot be recycled.

So why is the recycling percentage still so low?

This is the RecycleCoach app. Seems helpful, right?

If this app is so helpful, then why aren’t people recycling more?

Discovery

  • Sent out an anonymous survey

  • Educate ourselves on waste & recycling lifecycles

  • Analyze public 311 complaints

  • Research what other countries do that have better recycling habits

Before we can identify who our target audience is, we need to asses where people currently stand. The survey asked questions about whether someone recycles and how often, and if they know what is recyclable. It also asked general questions such as age range and zip code as well as what would motivate them to care more about recycling. 111 people completed the survey.

Survey results showed that we needed to target the younger generation, ages 25-44. They mostly know what they can recycle and most of them do recycle, but they need some other motivation in order to care more about recycling.

The top motivators that made our goal clear:

  • Tax breaks for good recycling habits, which would take a lot of convincing to local government.

  • Real-time progress on city recycling goals.

  • NFC-tracked recycle bins that log when you recycle to earn points to win prizes.

The User

Going into this project we assumed that the issue would be with the Users. That people didn't recycle based off conscious choice.

However, on review of our survey data the issue was more complex. Many of our respondents were trying to recycle, but either didn't know how, where, when, or flat out weren't getting responses from Metro Waste.

We changed our focus from "inspire and motivate" to "educate and simplify." Assuming you have what people want is NOT the same as designing what they need.

Persona 1

Persona 2

Megan’s Journey Map

Meghan's interaction with plastic containers she does not know how to recycle.

Solutions

How we can help alleviate some pain points mentioned by survey takers.

1

Reinforce Intrinsic
& Extrinsic Motivators

Create a system that has a progress tracker and achievement badges

2

Decrease Perceived Difficulty & Increase Perceived Control

Make information quick, accessible, and relatable

3

Adopting a Recycling Culture

Offer rewards to residents who demonstrate positive recycling habits

Wireframes

While this project was a collaborative effort, my main role was rooted in wireframes and design.

Home screen to Calendar screen

Home screen to Recycling Discovery screens

Home screen to Rewards screens and Info screen

Branding Guide Basics

Gamifying the Experience

By gamifying the recycling experience, we can encourage our users to be more passionate and engaged with the process.

The user can earn points by taking quizzes, checking in at recycling drop-off locations, and engaging in routine recycling. These points can then be used to redeem gift cards.

Users can also earn badges by completing challenges or after earning a set amount of points.

Users can compare their achievements with others on the leaderboard and be encouraged to outperform their friends and neighbors.

Next Steps

As this case study was a class project through Code Louisville’s UX Design Course, we did not have the time or resources to bring this project to completion. However, we did think through questions to ask that would take us to the next steps.

General Questions

  • How can this campaign be part of a larger waste remediation program?

  • Can we identify other community partners to involve in our initiative?

  • Could we partner with local schools to expand our education efforts and allow children to become stakeholders?

  • Would local corporations be willing to participate by donating incentives for good recycling habits?

  • How would any rewards (stickers, gift cards, prizes) be acquired and distributed?

Louisville Metro Questions

  • How can residents quickly get new or replacement recycling bins at no additional cost?

  • How can issues of missed pick-ups be resolved?

  • Is it possible to resume the weekly pickup of recycling?

  • Will the city have the resources to develop and maintain an app that will allow for gamification?

  • Is it feasible to enact a local ordinance making recycling mandatory or more encouraged?

  • What incentives are practical to give to residents for recycling?