Penn State Brandywine students are now sending more of their bad habits — and less of their actual trash — to the landfill thanks to a pioneering new Android app created on campus.

After the campus-wide Common Read book Garbology by Edward Humes exposed the typical American’s garbage habits for what they really are, a partnership between Penn State Brandywine marketing instructor Lori Elias and information sciences and technology senior John Miller led to the app development, according to a Penn State Brandywine report by Haleigh Swansen.

“Most Americans have no idea how much garbage our country produces per year,” Elias said. “That’s where we came up with the idea for an app that would do ‘trash audits’ and help people track and change their habits.”

Miller’s app simplifies the tracking through generic labels like “large box” and “small box,” then calculates totals based on those estimates.

“We, the Brandywine educators, are working to incorporate sustainability into our classrooms, architecture, research, and campus landscape,” said sustainability chair David Macauley.

“John’s app should help both to promote awareness of an important environmental issue and to change habits and behavior in positive ways. It’s great to see our students taking initiative.”

Read more about the garbage-tracking app on the university website here, and check out previous DELCO Today coverage of Penn State Brandywine here.