A privacy-first decision-support platform helping university students securely repair, reuse, donate or recycle old technology.
🏆 Placed 5th of 24 teams at Macquarie University's Pitch for the Planet 2026 (Faculty of Science and Engineering).
View the competition poster (PDF)
Students often keep unused phones, laptops and storage devices in drawers — not because they don't care about sustainability, but because they're uncertain whether their personal data can still be recovered, and unsure what to do next. This creates both an e-waste problem and a cybersecurity barrier.
In under two minutes, a user answers a short set of non-identifying questions about a device (ownership, power state, physical safety, condition, goal, and data sensitivity). RebootLoop then:
- Routes the device toward the safest next step: repair, reuse, donation, or responsible recycling — or stops the process entirely for hazardous or non-owned devices
- Guides secure, platform-specific data preparation (iPhone/iPad, Android, Windows, Mac, removable media)
- Generates a minimal QR "device passport" recording the route and an honest assurance level (guided / self-declared / partner-verified)
- Measures aggregate impact (devices assessed, route mix, estimated mass diverted) without inflating claims
RebootLoop does not erase data, certify sanitisation, or guarantee non-recoverability. It is a decision layer before handover — not a replacement for existing recycling/reuse schemes like MobileMuster or the NTCRS.
Live demo: rebootloopmq.github.io/RebootLoop
The prototype runs entirely offline in the browser — no accounts, no backend, no data collection.
git clone https://github.com/RebootLoopMQ/RebootLoop.git
cd RebootLoop/prototype
open index.html # or double-click it| Start | Assess |
|---|---|
 |
 |
| Route | Prepare |
|---|---|
 |
 |
Priority order: physical safety → authority/ownership → data sensitivity → device viability → circular outcome → convenience.
Every recommendation is produced by explicit, inspectable rules — not an opaque AI score. See /docs for the full routing table and five mandatory edge-case tests.
RebootLoop's problem framing and safety boundaries are grounded in published research and government guidance, not assumption:
- 511,000 t of e-waste generated in Australia in 2019, projected to reach 657,000 t by 2030 — Australian Government DCCEEW
- Sydney university students know what e-waste is but have a real knowledge gap around collection points and recycling programs — Islam, Dias & Huda, Macquarie University research (2021)
- 81% of people would be more inclined to hand down a phone if they knew how to remove their data properly, and 36% worry about the data stored on their old phones — MobileMuster
- Correct disposal preparation reduces but does not guarantee data cannot be recovered — Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC)
- Aligns with UN SDG 12 Targets 12.5 (waste reduction/reuse/recycling) and 12.8 (awareness and information) — UN SDG 12
Full citation table, links, and a note on stats we checked and deliberately excluded: docs/evidence-sources.md.
- Vanilla HTML / CSS / JavaScript (offline-first, zero dependencies)
- No accounts, no server, no data persistence beyond the browser session
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Project Coordination + Cybersecurity Lead | Shah Noor Mostafa Bhuiyan |
| Sustainability + Evidence Lead | Nafe Ibne Mamun |
| UX + Practicality Lead | Alexander Kai Cryan |
- MQ discovery pilot (20–50 devices)
- Verified partner directory for repair/donation/recycling
- Accessibility review
- Partner-verified assurance state (real evidence-backed sanitisation records)
Primary: UN SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production — Targets 12.5, 12.8) Supporting: UN SDG 13 (Climate Action)
MIT (see LICENSE) — adjust if your team prefers something else.