Status: EXPLORING

Current Status: Exploring

Project Stage(s): Concept

Live Trial Location(s): Pending > Live > Removed 

(What are the Project Stages?)
(Why are trials removed?)

CHALLENGE:

People don't think in terms of 'services', they instead think of the material that they want to dispose of. Eg they don't think about "bring centres" (or necessarily know the 'correct' term that they need to search for), they just want to "get rid of these old clothes".

We also currently provide people with long lists with descriptions (eg "near the junction of..." or "at the back of...") which can be difficult to follow and find the service that you need. In addition, this is often  in PDF format that isn't machine readable, and so Google isn't able to help them much either. (For the vast majority of people, Google's search box will be their entry point to finding out about Dublin City Council's services, not our own www.dublincity.ie website.)

Finally, our research has found that local shops are a key information source for bag customers. For example, we've overheard multiple conversations in these shops where a person was trying to find out what they should be doing or buying (eg waste bags) from the shopkeeper. We'd like to give both them, and the shops, a very simple information resource that helps them to understand their options much more simply.

PROPOSITION:

We would like to create a simple search tool for people to easily find out how they can dispose of their waste. 

DESCRIPTION:

We would like to create a prototype tool to help people to learn about their waste options. The idea is that someone just enters their address, and it will tell them everything that they need to know in a very simple way.

We think that it will also be pretty simple to provide it in various languages also to better cater for the various native languages used in Dublin. 

(You can click to enlarge.)

[Update 24/02/2020]

Version 1 of this search waste tool is now available at https://waste.civictech.ie/ 

Simply type your street and it will begin to tell everything that you need to know. 

Dublin City Council BETA worked with a number of volunteers (Ré Dubhthaigh, Brian Flanagan and Tewson Seeoun) who predominantly created this tool. 

We have purposefully left out some elements to keep it simpler to begin with - such as glass bottle banks, and the larger centres for more specialised types of waste. Please send on your suggestions as to what else you'd like to see included. 

Equally, as a first pass at this problem, there's bound to be errors, so take it with a pinch of salt!...then let us know what you spotted.

You can read about the data that this tool is using to display results, and which is open for others to use (noting the caveat above). 

How might we use this?

1. To help people to understand the existing system better.
2. Linking to it from our website or from waste specialist websites such as mywaste.ie.
3. Combined with a more memorable address (for example yourwaste.ie or dublinrubbish.ie) it might take the form of a poster that shops could prominently display, and direct any queries towards.
4. We could provide this information at sites where dumping often occurs - at street bins or certain trees or lanes. 
5. Providing it to certain types of groups - for example short-stay lettings. 
6. It should be relatively simple to show the information in different languages to cater for different nationalities.

Do you have any other suggestions? 

OUTCOMES:

[Trial not yet complete.]

DECISION:

[Trial not yet complete.]

NEXT STEPS:

[Trial not yet complete.]

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WHAT DO YOU THINK?

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