"Project Poop" from the Renaissance Youth Center

Students from the South Bronx create a solution to effectively tackle dog waste in their community.

Students from the Renaissance Youth Center in the South Bronx have taken matters into their own hands and come up with a solution to a local problem.

The students were sick and tired of seeing poop all over their streets, and the lack of garbage cans only made matters worse. So, they decided to take action and create their own garbage can. But, this wasn't your average trash can, they added an ultrasonic sensor to keep track of how many people had thrown away their dog's waste.

The students followed these 4 steps to create their projects and so can you!
1. Identify a problem: Our streets are covered in dog poop, and a lack of garbage cans doen't help the situation.
2. Offer a solution: The students thought of creating a garbage can that keeps record of how many times it has been used, to help clean our streets and motivate others to do the same. The students also reached out to the Department of Sanitation to install signs to enforce a hefty fine for dog littering.
3. Create a model: The Robotics students created the garbage can using an Arduino mega to function as the brain, an ultrasonic sensor to keep track of the usage, and an LCD screen to display the usage. 
4. Put the plan into action: The students then installed the "Project Poop" garbage can outside of their center as well as installed the signs to enforce fines.

If you're working on an SDG project in your community, be sure to submit it to rycsdg@renaissanceyouth.org for consideration.

Stay tuned for more inspiring stories!

UPDATE: The Students have completed Project poop and held an unveiling of the Garbage Can. The unveiling featured students, community members, and their furry friends, for an event that brought the community closer while spreading knowledge on dog Waste and a solution these students came up with. View the video below for a recap of the unveiling.