The Startup Recycling Your Can to Extend the Planet's Lifespan

ABOUT

U:CAAN combines recycling technology with digital out of home advertising to help implement an on-the-go recycling system that rewards people for depositing their cans and bottles. Users can use their rewards with partner brands or donate them to partner charities within the homelessness sector 🇬🇧

HOW WE MAKE CHANGE

U:CAAN was early stage and was therefore looking for online volunteers to help with Design and Web Development in order to create a website and an app for the recycling concept.

Here’s how ChangeMakers have helped 🙌

After 18 minutes on U:CAAN’s website over 100,000 cans and bottles had been used

“THE EXPERIENCE WAS FUN AND INSIGHTFUL”

Hadijah Larasti 🇮🇩

‘My name is Hadijah Larasti and I am from Indonesia. I graduated from an industrial design program two years ago and have since then worked for an IT-consultancy based in Jakarta as a professional User Experience Designer. I handle clients from various sectors, including FMCG, banking and telecommunication. Next to my main job I run a literacy community and sell handmade leather notebooks with my colleagues.

At U:CAAN I was doing design and research related to the U:CAAN mobile application. Initially, I brainstormed possible solutions for the app, then I implemented the solution by designing the interface of the application. Matt (U:CAAN Founder) and I had regular conference calls to discuss the progress.

The experience was fun and insightful. Since I joined a voluntary project associated with environmental issues, I was encouraged to think critically. I also learned how to communicate my ideas as clearly as possible to the U:CAAN team regarding my design decisions.’

“I ENJOYED THE DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT THAT CAME WITH WORKING IN A STARTUP”

James Duffy 🇬🇧

‘My name is James Duffy and I am from the United Kingdom. I am a student at University of Manchester, and I’ve recently been interning at IBM where I’ve been a business analyst and later a scrum master for an internet and mobile app design team. In 2020 I’ve volunteered for two We Make Change projects, Snice and U:CAAN.

At U:CAAN I created wireframes and mapped user journeys for a mobile app that combined gamification, social networking, AR & AI to incentivise recycling and make it more fun. We created a high fidelity prototype and the team is now working on creating a functional demo!

I had a very positive experience with U:CAAN. It was really engaging and I particularly enjoyed the dynamic environment that came with working in a startup. With U:CAAN I was able to apply the Design Thinking skills that I had learned as an intern. While working on this project I discovered how fulfilling social enterprises can be.’

RESULT

‘We Make Change has been great in helping U:CAAN find the necessary help to get our solution to a stage where we can demonstrate what we are trying to do to a wider audience. What I find particularly amazing is their ability to bring different people from all over the world together, people that are willing to help total strangers, and the ease with which it is done’

‘The volunteers we found through We Make Change all made great contributions to our project and really helped us to develop our thinking. Without their help we would definitely not be as far along as we are now, nor would we have had the chance to meet with and get to know a great bunch of people!’

MATT POLLEN
FOUNDER, U:CAAN

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