TLGC Girls aim to tackle paper waste with their invention, E-ceipt

We were thrilled to announce that our team of four S4 students, including Stephanie Ong Wing Lam, Renee Law Hiu Nam, Ella Leung Han and Esther Wong Yin Ching, won the Merit Award in the Hong Kong Science Fair. They were also invited to exhibit their winning design – “E-ceipt” – in the Fair on 25th and 26th June 2022 in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

“E-ceipt” is a mobile app which generates e-receipts after payment. In other words, having installed this app, you will not receive paper receipts anymore. Its benefits are manifold. First, the app can save your time as you do not need to wait for the printing of the paper receipts. Second, you can keep track of your shopping records electronically. Most importantly, you can save paper and protect the environment.

When asked what inspired the team to design this mobile app, Stephanie said the idea popped up when they were shopping with a hand-full of paper receipts. “Not only were the numerous receipts inconvenient, but they also generated too much waste,” she said. “Based on such daily experience, we hoped to do something that makes our lives easier and ‘rescues’ more trees.”

From October 2021, the team attended numerous seminars to learn some concepts of innovation and technology. Then they created a prototype, wrote a PowerPoint and prepared a presentation script for the competition and the Fair.

Esther said there were many limitations while creating this app. “We mainly used some free websites to make our prototype, but their functions were limited. Despite such insufficient resources, we attempted to use what we had to complete the project,” she said.

Their effort paid off as their ideas were highly praised in the Science Fair. They were also exhilarated by the opportunity to showcase their exhibit and present their ideas clearly and eloquently. Being well-prepared, the team confidently answered all the questions from the judges and the visitors who were unfamiliar with their ideas.

The team believed the main objective of the technological innovation is to solve daily problems. For other aspiring True Light girls who will pursue their studies in science and technology, they suggested thinking out of the box and making big changes on small things.

“Always keep an open mind. Treasure every bold and imaginative idea in mind, and this will help you transform ideas into practical solutions and bring convenience to our lives,” said Stephanie.