There are apps for snapping photos of food, and apps for snapping picturesque scenery, but how about an app for snapping photos of garbage?
PIRIKA – meaning clean and beautiful in Ainu – is a mobile app hoping to foster a movement for garbage picking.
The app allows users to snap a photo of the trash they find and share it on PIRIKA, Facebook, or Twitter before throwing it into the garbage bin. It displays where garbage has been collected via geotagging technology and allows users to comment and give thanks to one another.
CEO of PIRIKA Fujio Kojima pitched the app at SF Japan Night, an event that showcases Japanese tech startups, and explained that the company hopes to work with major garbage-creating businesses to clean up the streets.
For instance, Clean Water Action did a study on the source of trash polluting in the San Francisco Bay Area and found that the five most significant sources of trash were McDonald’s, Burger King, 7-Eleven, Starbucks, and Taco Bell.
Users of PIRIKA would pick up trash and as an incentive, collect coupons from chain restaurants or other rewards such as prizes and gifts from similar companies.
Since launching a year ago, more than 95,000 pieces of garbage in over 60 countries have been collected.
The app is available for free on Android and iPhone devices.