Clinton, N.Y. – What can I recycle? A potato chip bag? Does it recycle? How about a milk carton? Now residents in the two-county area can take a quick photo of an item and get instant advice about whether an item should be recycled or headed for the trash bin. They can also find where to dispose of household hazardous waste or identify the nearest compost site. And children can test their knowledge by taking a fun and educational quiz – all on a new app launched by the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority (OHSWA) and designed by three Hamilton College seniors.
The app is the product of work completed by students Angel Apollos ’26, Ricaldo Lewis ’26, and Mia Wrisley ’26 for their senior project in computer science. The trio partnered with Visiting Assistant Professor of Computer Science Wenbo Wang, OHSWA recycling coordinator Eileen Brinck, and Alma Lowry, Hamilton College environmental studies lecturer, to create the app modeled after the “Am I Recyclable” feature on OHSWA’s website. “The search function on our website is fine, but because you need internet access to use it, it isn’t always handy. We wanted to improve on that idea,” Brinck said.
After a chance encounter with Lowry over the summer at the Clinton farmers market, Brinck learned about the possibility of collaborating with Hamilton students. She submitted her idea, and the project was selected by Apollos, Lewis, and Wrisley, who met weekly with Brinck via Zoom throughout the fall to develop prototypes before the app launched in December.
For more than a decade, the senior students have applied what they’ve learned in software engineering analysis, design, coding, testing, maintenance, and documentation to solve real problems. Initially the students partnered with faculty members and campus offices, but in 2023, projects expanded to support area nonprofits as well.
A couple of examples include creating software for the Oneida County History Center on an app that converts image files into PDF format and for assisting the Oneida County Volunteer Ambulance Corps determine hotspots of 911 calls so they can better understand where to devote resources.
As far as the work with OHSWA goes, Brinck said, “Feedback has been really positive. People really like that when you load [the app], it reads your location so you know what resources are available right here in our area.” She plans to continue working with Hamilton students in the future on updates.
To explore the app, search AmIRecyclable-OHSWA in the Apple App Store and on Google Play. (By the way, a potato chip bag is made of mixed materials that are hard to recycle; however, a milk carton can be recycled if it’s clean and empty.)
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