##Tools for understanding waste

This is a page dedicated towards the development and exploration of Public Lab tools to help understand the world of waste.  Ideas range from landfill monitoring and mapping landfills to developing a trash can with built-in scale and household composting bin.  

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####Wifi Enabled Trashcan Scale (concept) 
This trashcan has a builtin scale which automatically logs it's daily weight online wirelessly.  This joins the group 'internet of things' but could help keep track of exactly how much trash an individual or household produces.  Could also be implemented into workplaces.

Steps to build:
1) Hack digital scale to add wifi capabilities.
2) Design method in which a trash can is placed on top

*tracking daily waste numbers across communities could be tremendously useful in understanding more precisely how much municipal solid waste is produced annually.

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####Landfill Monitoring Kit
This kit will include items needed to take a small soil sample in order to test for various toxins, metals, etc... A water monitoring kit - for nearby waterways to test for contaminates in the water.  (These are just suggestions for monitoring landfills.  I actually have no idea what would be useful)

Steps to build:
1) Research - how does the EPA monitor landfills?  Can we allow citizens develop this at low-cost?

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####Landfill Identification and Tracking
The Environmental Protection Agency has a database containing data about all of the landfills in the country.  It would enlightening to gather citizen stories and documentation of each of these landfills aside from the EPA database.  This initial map was created to use the EPA database to locate all of the landfill in the country on one map.  Users can then identify nearby landfills and see, via google maps, what the landfill is like from above.  Expanding this map to include citizen gathered data on each landfill individually help formulate a better understanding of landfills around the country.

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####Home Composting Kit
I'm sure everybody and their brother has thought about this, but when I try and find something online, nothing exists.  The home composting kit would be everything you need to easily compost at home.  I imagine the kit to be similar to a trash can, but with many various levels to allow for the various steps in composting.  - To be totally honest, I only have a basic understanding of how to compost but I fully believe there must be a simple way (via a product) to help people with in-house composting. -

Maybe something like [this](http://www.naturemill.net/products.html).
Useful [scientific research](http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=dXNX4cOMqDUC&oi=fnd&pg=PR13&dq=composting&ots=LrhIRSbR1Y&sig=jKlrJ9f23HtEqKXz9-Iso9Guc5w#v=onepage&q=composting&f=false)

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####Wall-E Robot to collect waste
This is all about making a Wall-e stye robot to collect and process waste.  This is interesting in both bringing the character to life which represents the 'solution' to our increasingly growing waste stream as well as actually making a robot that could collect waste more efficiently.  I also see potential for creating a mascot for waste as well as an opportunity to push the waste conversation forward.  

Next steps: Design a diagram of what this robot would do.  Ideas: simple moving trash can, add environmental sensors, focus on one item (organics or aluminum can crusher) etc...