Wastebase user guide

Register

You can use the app as a guest. You'll be able to add data without sharing your personal information and see data already collected by Wastebase. Your scans will be saved on the device you're using, so that if you use the app again on the same device, you'll see your scans. However, you won't see your scans on any other device. Register to see your scans on any device.

If you choose to register you can contribute data by adding new products and scans. It's quick, easy and free.

from the home page, choose 'log in' at the top of the screen
choose 'register'
enter your name and an email address. This should be an email that you control and is not shared by anyone. You can use your work email or a personal email (such as gmail).

We use passwordless login - this means you don't need to remember a password to use Wastebase. Once you've entered your email, we'll send you a 6 digit code every time you login. Open your email, check the code then go back to the app to enter it.

Watch a video about how to register

Install the app

The app is meant to be used on a smartphone.

Install on Android

install at wastebase.app
or search for 'wastebase' on Google Play Store

Install on iPhone

choose iPhone at wastebase.app
either download as an app or follow the steps to add to your home screen

Use the app without installing

Try the app at plastictracking.app

If you've already registered, you can login with your email.

Update settings in the app

Wastebase needs to know your location when you're using the app. This means we can track exactly where plastic waste is scanned. You'll need to:

activate location (GPS) on your device
allow the Wastebase app to use location services (the app will prompt you to give these permissions if you haven't already done so)
set permission for Wastebase to use location 'while the app is running' or 'only while in use'

We only record your location when you add data. We don't record location when you are:

just viewing data, or
have the app switched on but are not adding new data.

View our privacy policy

Log in

choose 'log in' from the home screen
enter the email address you signed up with
choose 'send login code'
we'll send a 6 digit code to your email
enter the code and choose 'log in'

If you haven't registered or if you enter your email address incorrectly, we'll direct you to the register screen.

Home screen

From the home screen, you can:

scan a product barcode
search for a product by name, brand or barcode
see data from our global community, including total items tracked using the app
request training for yourself or a group
see how many items you've added to our database

You can also open the menu to:

set your sharing settings
view the Wastebase data portal
set up audit activities and audit areas
view privacy information and much more.

You'll see more options when you log in.

Scan a product

You can scan waste using your phone's camera:

from the home screen, choose 'scan some waste'
position the product's barcode in the scanning box
the app will recognise the barcode and close the camera

If your camera is not scanning, try tapping the 'switch camera' button. Some phones have more than one front-facing camera. Not all of these are needed for scanning so occasionally you need to switch cameras.

If we've got that item in our database, you can:

take a photo of the item (this helps Wastebase recognise waste more easily)
tell us what you did with the item
change the quantity if you're scanning more than 1 of the same product (if you're doing a big clean up or a waste or brand audit and you've scanned more than 12 products before, you can quickly add volumes of 20 or 50 at a time)
share your scan on social media

If we don't have that item, you can add a new product and help grow our database.

Add a new product

When you scan a barcode that isn't in our database, we'll ask you to enter:

product label (the flavour or type, like 'Still Water' or 'Orange Cool'
brand (like 'Pepsi' or 'Frozy')
volume (like '500 ml' - this is printed on the label)

Once you've added these details, you can follow the steps in 'scan a product' to record your scan.

Adding new products help the Wastebase database grow. It's really important to building the evidence we need to create a circular economy for single-use plastic.

Detecting products without scanning

Detecting products means finding them in the environment. You can use the app to tell us where you found them. You can do this in 4 ways:

scan the product barcode
search for first 3 letters of the product name or brand
search for the first 5 digits of the barcode to get a suggested list
search for the product by barcode (cheat by entering the last 4 digits)
reuse a scan that you've done before

Watch this video to find out more

How add a new Product to our databank.

Reuse a scan you've done before

You can find all of your previous scans in the app. You can either:

scroll to the 'my contribution' tile on the home screen then choose 'see more'
open the app menu and choose 'contribution'
from your list of the scans, choose the one you want to reuse, choose 'share again' and then follow the steps above to scan a product

Set your sharing nickname

When you set up a nickname, you can:

share your scans on social media, for example, to tag a producer and tell them where you've found their waste
quickly contact a retailer to when you've scanned a product in their shop and want to ask them to improve their sustainability practices

Open the app menu. Choose 'Sharing'. Turn on 'Activity Sharing' then choose a nickname and save your sharing profile.

Your nickname will be visible to other app users. You can also see your profile on our data portal at wastebase.org. This makes it easy to view and report on all of the data you've collected.

On the 'My contribution' screen there is a link to 'Share profile'. You can share this with other people in your group or community so they can view your data.

Share your scans

Once you've set your sharing nickname, you can share your scans to social media or by sharing the link. For example, you could:

tag the producer of a product to show them where their waste ends up

share to a friend or community volunteer to tell them where you've been collecting waste

When you've completed a scan, simply choose the 'share this scan' option. You will see a screen asking you how you want to share - either by copying a link or sharing to one of your social media profiles. Choose your preferred option then amend the text or tag another account, then post.

Create an audit area

You can use this feature if you've achieved 'Validator' role. This means you are using the app regularly, have received training on advanced features, and are making a significant contribution to Wastebase.

By using the audit area feature, you can audit waste in a particular area like a park or market. If you repeat the audit more than once, you can start to monitor build up of plastic waste. Read more about how Wastebase helps to monitor waste in a particular area.

choose 'Audit Areas' from the app menu
choose the + button to add a new area
in the map screen, hit the + button to start drawing your area
use two fingers to move the map screen and draw a boundary line - the line will start from the crosshairs in the middle of the map
when you've drawn your first line, hit the + button to create a corner, then repeat until you've drawn a boundary around the whole area
hit the tick button to confirm your area
choose a name for your area - make this simple and clear so that you can share it with others
choose 'OK' to add the audit area

You'll now see this area in your Audit Areas list. You can also view and download data from scans in that area on wastebase.org.

If you've like free training on how to use Audit features, register your interest using this form.

Set up an audit activity

Any registered user can set up an Audit Activity. You can run the activity without linking it to a specific area, or you can link it to an existing Audit Area (see 'Set up an Audit Area').

You can use Wastebase to set up and share an activity on a specific date, for example, a clean up of a local park. To set up:

choose 'Audit Activities' from the app menu
choose 'add new' to create a new activity
enter a name for your activity
link your activity to an existing Audit Area or create a new area by following the steps in 'Set up an audit area' (only available to Validators)
set your activity to public or choose your organisation* if you want to allow other people to contribute data as part of the activity
set a date and start time, then save
you'll see the activity in your 'Audit Activities' list
when you're ready to start the activity, hit 'Start'

When the activity is live and set to 'public', scans from any other Wastebase users in the area will see the activity in their app and can choose to 'Join'. Their scans will be automatically added to the activity record.

When the activity is finished, choose 'End' from your Audit Activities screen. You can now view all of the data from that activity on wastebase.org.

*This option is only available if you're part of an organisation.

If you've like free training on how to use Audit features, register your interest using this form.

Contact a brand

You can use Wastebase to scan products in a shop and find out about the sustainability claims of that producer. This can help you decide whether to buy the product or not.

As a consumer, you have the power to influence retailers and producers about their approach to packaging. If you want more choice and more non-plastic options, tell these companies that you expect more from them.

If you decide not to buy a product in a shop, Wastebase lets you quickly contact that retailer and ask them to reduce the amount of single use plastic packaging they stock.

When you scan a product:

take a look at the product information
choose the option to say what you did with the product, for example, scanned in a shop and decided not to buy
you'll see an option to 'do a bit more'
choose the retailer where you saw the product, then choose 'Contact' to open contact options
depending on how that retailer prefers to be contacted, your phone will open email or a social media account
check the text and send

View your contribution

You can see every item you've scanned or added to the database by:

choosing 'Contribution' from the app menu
scrolling to 'Your contribution' on the home screen

You'll see a list of every item you've added or scanned with the most recent at the top. You can scroll down as far as you want. You can then:

reuse this scan if you've found the same product again
share your scan on socials or send the link to a friend, group or tag to a producer

Tags and quick buttons

Wastebase makes it easy for community groups to record and filter large quantities of data, quickly. In the app, you can:

add up to 3 tags to link scans to certain places or activities - these tags will appear whenever you scan making it easier to search for data on our data portal
add products in quantities of 20 or 50 using the quick quantities buttons on the 'Submit your scan' screen