Kanta.mk - GARB (Interactive Eco Mobile Application)
Overview
Kanta.mk (GARB in English) was a mobile application developed by SmartUp – Social Innovation Lab in 2017 to help residents of Skopje take part in improving waste disposal, collection, and recycling. The app used crowdsourcing: citizens could map waste containers, suggest new container locations, and report illegal dumping sites. The goal was to build a shared, citizen-sourced picture of waste-management needs in the city that responsible institutions and organisations could use to plan their work.
The challenge
Scattered waste and illegal dumping
Skopje continued to struggle with scattered waste and illegal dumpsites, and there was little accessible information on where containers were missing or where dumping occurred.
Limited citizen engagement
Residents had few easy ways to contribute to a cleaner city, and many were unsure how they could help.
Need for data to inform decisions
Authorities and organisations needed up-to-date, location-based information to plan waste management and cleanup actions.
Activities and methods
Kanta.mk gave residents a simple way to contribute waste-management information from their phones. Through the app, citizens could:
- Map existing waste containers – mark where containers are, so the city's real collection points become visible.
- Suggest new locations – point out neighbourhoods where containers are missing or too far away.
- Report illegal dumping – flag dumpsites so they can be seen and followed up.
Why it mattered: the information collected was designed to give responsible institutions and organisations a clearer, citizen-sourced picture of waste-management needs in Skopje, and to make it easier for residents and those organisations to work on the same problem.
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