“Dear diary, today I didn’t use plastic…”
By now, most people are aware that plastic use is a huge problem for our health and our environment.
Yet most of us also probably don’t know where our plastic comes from… nor are we actively aware of how much we use throughout the day. And even if you are aware of it, you probably don’t know how to go about reducing it.
That’s why a London startup has created an app – MyPlasticDiary – to lessen our reliance on plastic goods.
It has recently been approved for a grant of almost £70,000 from Innovate UK that will allow them to continue developing their app, which is still in its early stages.
It’s essentially a “Fitbit for plastic”
MyPlasticDiary helps you actively track and record the plastic you use in your day-to-day lives through plastic packages bought when shopping. The user can enter the packaging and check the detailed information that’s available throughout different categories.
The idea for this stemmed from co-founder Alex Zilber, who one day realized he didn’t know where the plastic he was buying was coming from. This led to an epiphany: if people are aware of where the plastic is coming from, then they’ll be more likely to take action to reduce it.
How can technology help reduce plastic use?
Zilber spoke up for what he hopes the app will achieve – “Once a week, MyPlasticDiary calculates your plastic usage and if you have been doing a good job, it awards you with a virtual medal or a cup. You can post this to your Facebook or Instagram feed and let others know that you are actively trying to reduce your plastic footprint and inspire them to do the same.”
As more people are taking on “plastic-free” or minimalist lifestyles, this app will hopefully help encourage others to take action against plastic as well.
What problems does the app face?
Even though Zilber states that more people who use the app become more self-aware of the little things they purchase throughout the day, the app still faces some challenges.
One of them is that there isn’t a quality database available that contains the data for all plastic packaging. He hopes that one day all products containing plastic will be required to submit detailed data into the database. This will help improve accuracy and transparency, allowing the app to be more effective.
Zilber also hopes to eventually include barcode scanning and integrate the app with online grocery shopping apps as well.
So, would you download this app to track plastic usage? Or do you already do well in avoiding plastic? Should more companies offer up information on how much plastic they use? Let us know in the comments section below!