GeniCan Turns Trash To Treasure

But only if you count an Amazon delivery as treasure.

GeniCan is but another logical next step in the proliferation of the IoT. Garbage cans will soon be able to order on behalf of customers. Say goodbye to the shopping list.

GeniCan is reportedly one of several brands to join Amazon Dash’s Replenishment Service. It attaches to a trash can, and when someone throws away an item, the device can be used to scan a barcode that links to the user’s smartphone and adds the item to their shopping list.

Rob Griffin, cofounder of GeniCan, was quoted as saying: “GeniCan’s mission is to simplify the lives of busy families. GeniCan creates shopping lists easily and automatically, saving them time and money. Now, they can reorder items directly from their garbage can and recycle bin at the perfect time: the moment the item is being disposed of.”

Amazon’s Dash Replenishment Service went live in January of this year. Devices and products that are integrated with it can automatically order more of themselves when the products are running low. Any brands that want to join the service can do so by adding Amazon’s API to their connected devices.

The GeniCan can be seen as a quirky, at-home take on the Dash Wand, which lets users scan the barcodes of items to order when they’re on the go. Amazon also offers an app-based version of the barcode scanning service called Flow.

Amazon Dash had already become popular with various brands since the Dash Button feature was first introduced to Amazon at the end of March 2015. The instant ordering service hit a total of 200 buttons in October of this year.

New additions to the Dash family of products include Meow Mix, Airheads, Cheez-It, Folgers and Pop-Tarts, among others. GE even recently introduced a Dash-ready dishwasher that orders a user-selected brand of detergent pods when supplies run low. Amazon Dash is available for $50 for Amazon Prime members.

Here’s to hoping that all of the above participating brands can be scanned and ordered with GeniCan. If there’s any irony here, it’s that customers will have to wait until Jan. 2017 to get their hands on GeniCan.