Vibha Anand, 9, helps solve a problem that she has spoken about often on the news.
BELLEVUE, Wash. — Nine-year-old Vibha Anand is helping solve a problem she’s talked about often on the news, recycling.
Vibha is a third grade student at Clyde Hill Elementary in Bellevue and has created what she hopes will be a resource for children around the world.
Like many other children his age, Vibha loves dedication, piano, gymnastics and science. Her parents involved her in coding during the stay-at-home phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, she enrolled in BYJU’s online FutureSchool. Vibha learned the basic coding skills she needed to develop an idea for an e-learning platform. FutureSchool teachers encouraged her to enter an ’18 Under 18′ contest and asked her to think of a real-world problem that could potentially be solved using technology, in the form of an app. .
In the summer of 2021, Vibha was watching the news with her little brother when she heard about the difficulties people have in learning how to sort waste and items that can be effectively recycled. She remembers learning about recycling and composting practices in kindergarten and wanted to develop a solution to help other children – and adults – understand how to properly separate waste from recyclables.
She used her coding skills to create an app called “Trash Sorter”. The concept was well received by the online school and she was selected to enter the 18 Under 18 competition with other students from around the world.
“Trash Sorter” helps children understand the three types of trash. Garbage, recycling and compost appear on the sorter screen, and users can find out which categories their items belong to and how best to dispose of them. Vibha has finished the coding and design and is working on some bugs with the app feature.
“Computer bugs, not crawling little bugs,” laughs Vibha.
She hopes to one day become an actress or singer. Until then, she will continue to develop her vision for an app that will help children sort trash and reduce household waste.
She is currently a finalist in the 18 Under 18 contest and is planning a new and improved version of her app.
“I want to make it a game for more kids to use and learn by playing,” Anand said.
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