EcoKolek: A Smart Mobile Application for Sustainable Recycling Collection and Management

Effective waste management in urban areas is often hindered by inefficient collection processes and poor coordination among stakeholders. To address these challenges, we developed EcoKolek, a mobile application designed to optimize the collection and management of recyclable materials through a structured and technology-driven approach. EcoKolek connects three primary user groups: EcoUsers, who schedule recyclable pickups; EcoWarriors, who collect and sell materials to junk shops; and administrators, who oversee transactions, user management, and policy compliance. The development of EcoKolek follows the Rapid Application Development (RAD) model, enabling iterative prototyping and accelerated deployment. The system architecture is built on a scalable, cloud-based infrastructure using Render for server hosting and MongoDB for tableless data storage, ensuring flexibility and efficiency in handling dynamic waste management data. The backend is implemented in Python, supporting a RESTful API for seamless communication between the mobile frontend, built with Flutter, and the cloud-based services. Additionally, a role-based access control (RBAC) model ensures secure user authentication and data privacy. This paper details the software design, development lifecycle, and architectural choices behind EcoKolek, emphasizing key software engineering principles such as scalability, maintainability, and usability. While full-scale experimental deployment is yet to be conducted, the application has undergone extensive testing in simulated environments, demonstrating improved waste collection coordination and user engagement. The findings suggest that EcoKolek has the potential to enhance urban recycling efforts through a structured, technology-driven framework, paving the way for future real-world implementation and integration into sustainable waste management ecosystems.