In a significant achievement at the international level, Grade 9 students Yashvi Agrawal and Shriya Arunkumar Pappala from GIIS East Coast Campus have been awarded the Runner-Up position in the prestigious TCS goIT Young Innovator of the Year 2025 competition.

Organised by Tata Consultancy Services, the competition witnessed participation from over 80,000 students across 49 countries, with only 22 teams advancing to the international finals. Representing GIIS East Coast on this global stage, Yashvi and Shriya impressed judges with their innovative project, Bintastic — a smart, sustainability-focused solution designed to address the global challenge of food waste.

Bintastic is an intelligent, eco-conscious dustbin equipped with a built-in electric composter and a custom-designed mobile app that tracks food waste, provides sustainability tips, and encourages responsible disposal habits through interactive features. The idea stemmed from their concern about the fact that over 1.3 billion tonnes of food are wasted globally each year, even as millions of people go hungry.

To create a truly impactful solution, the students went beyond the product, conducting surveys, organising awareness campaigns, and hosting sustainability workshops within the school community. Their goal was not just to build a device, but to inspire a shift in behavior and promote conscious living from the ground up.

Their project directly aligns with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure), SDG 4 (Quality Education), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Throughout this journey, Yashvi and Shriya developed essential 21st-century skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. Their success is a shining example of what young minds can achieve when empowered to innovate with empathy and purpose. The students were guided by their mentors, Ms. Nidhi Goyal, Ms. Parkavi Thangaraj, and Ms. Krishnaveni,  whose expert guidance, encouragement, and feedback were instrumental at every stage of the project.

As the students beautifully put it, “Big change often starts with small steps and sometimes, even with a dustbin.”