An app that helps track your waste

Worried about erratic collection of garbage or ‘black spots’? Soon, help will be at your fingertips, for Bengaluru-based think-tank group Public Affairs Centre (PAC) has developed an app — ‘PAC Wastetracker’ — to ensure that data fed in by volunteers about the ground situation is discussed with elected representatives.

The app was tested on a pilot basis in six wards — Vignana Nagar, Azad Nagar, Rajajinagar, A. Narayanapura, and Prakash Nagar — and aims to capture citizen experiences during garbage collection.

Arvind L. Sha, senior programme officer of PAC, said they had nominated 32 volunteers in six wards to answer a set of six questions a day. “We mainly chose shopkeepers, homemakers or those who were always around so that quick and real-time information about the the situation could be provided. While currently it is restricted to volunteers, it will be open to the public in a week’s time,” Mr. Sha said.

He said that while they had initially focused on ‘black spots’, they had now expanded to get feedback on households. Some of the data that is collected includes whether garbage is collected or burnt, the level of waste that is segregated, time of garbage collection, and nuisance caused owing to uncollected garbage.

The initiative aims to examine the role of collection of garbage from homes, transportation and the disposal level in a safe and scientific manner.

S.G. Nagaraj, councillor, Vijnana Nagar ward, said the app will help them get real-time information of the waste collected by 18 garbage vans.

“A person at the ward office will monitor the app and check why the van driver did not collect garbage,” he said.

Meena Nair, Head, Participatory Governance Research Group, said this was an attempt at improving the nature of garbage collection in the city with support from councillors. “We hope to create a participatory monitoring and evaluation collection system to help and act in at least one part of the overall solid waste management system of Bengaluru,” she added.

Download the app on Android mobile devices from Google Play.