Project Proposal

Food Waste Reduction and Redistribution System

Database System LAB

Urooj Fatima Shaikh (2312181)

Tunjeena Abbasi (2312180)

Pari Nagdev (2312169)

Project given by: Mr. Akash Raza

Date: 4/22/2025
Introduction

One of the most critical issues of the 21st century worldwide is food waste. The FAO estimates
that more than one-third of all food grown worldwide ends up wasted, which translates to about
1.3 billion tons annually. This not only causes economic loss but also degrades the environment,
with rotting food releasing methane—a very powerful greenhouse gas. At the same time,
millions of individuals globally are suffering from chronic hunger, concentrated in urban slums
and distant rural areas. In this context, food loss is not just a supply chain or logistical matter—it
is a human rights matter.

The purpose of this project is to design a high-tech and organized Database Management System
(DBMS) that will be the core of an online system known as the "Food Waste Reduction and
Redistribution System." The system will provide a platform through which food donors, NGOs,
recipients, and volunteers can come together in a streamlined, data-based environment. It will
support tracking of excess food, request matching, scheduling, real-time updates, and detailed
reporting. A centralized database will be created that maintains data consistency, security,
traceability, and operational efficiency among all the modules. This will make redistribution of
food smarter, sustainable, and inclusive.

Objectives

The system plans to achieve multiple strategic and functional objectives aligned with both
humanitarian and technological imperatives:

1. Create a real-time, secure, and scalable platform for food donation and requests.
2. Reduce wastage of food by linking providers of surplus with needy individuals.
3. Maintain donor profiles, food types, quantities, and expiry dates.
4. Monitor and track food movement from source to recipient.
5. Automate food request matching with available donations.
6. Enable scheduling and route planning for optimal pickups and deliveries.
7. Sustain open feedback mechanisms to monitor food quality and user trust.
8. Generate analytics and reports to measure impact and performance.
 9. Develop role-based access to secure user data and promote system governance.

Scope of the Project

This DBMS project will encompass different user roles, workflows, and functionality. It will
cater to food donors (restaurants, hotels, bakeries, households), food recipients (orphanages,
shelters, NGOs), system administrators, and volunteers. Each category of user will be able to
access certain areas of the system through a secure login portal.

The system will operate in multiple cities and regions. It will have modules for user registration,
listing of food, submission of requests, matching of donations, scheduling of routes, confirmation
of pickup, tracking of delivery status, collection of feedback, generation of reports, and archiving
of data. Further features can include QR-code labeling of packages, support for multiple
languages, and interfacing with local government databases for compliance and audit.

Methodology

The following is a detailed methodology for the Food Waste Reduction and Redistribution
System:

1. Requirement Gathering:

The requirement gathering process will consist of gathering and recording the system
requirements. This will be accomplished through:

 Stakeholder interviews, such as food donors, NGOs, recipients, and volunteers.

 Questionnaires and surveys to capture information from a large number of stakeholders.

 Review of current systems and literature to extract best practices and areas of
improvement.
 The requirements collected will be documented and referred to during the remainder of
the project.
2. System Design: System design will include developing a detailed system design. This will
encompass:

 Developing a logical data model to specify the structure of the database.

 Developing a physical data model to specify the database schema.

 Designing the system architecture, including front-end and back-end components.
 Designing UI wireframes to establish the user interface.

3. Database Design:

 Designing an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) to establish the relationships among

the tables.
 Normalizing the database to make it efficient and scalable.
 Designing a relational schema to establish the database's structure.
 Designing data flow diagrams to establish the movement of data within the system.

4. Development:

 Front-end development with HTML5, CSS3, Bootstrap, and JavaScript.

 Back-end development with PHP or Python, and MySQL or PostgreSQL.
 Integration of front-end and back-end parts.
 Deployment of CRUD operations for all the entities.

5. Testing:

 Unit testing to test the individual parts.

 Integration testing to test the components together.
 User acceptance testing to test the system with actual users.
 Testing will be done based on the development and will make sure the system is properly
tested.
6. Deployment:

 Server and database configuration.

 Deployment of front-end and back-end modules.
 Testing the system upon deployment.

7. Maintenance:

 Periodic updates to ensure that the system is secure and efficient.

 Performance tuning to ensure that the system is fast and responsive.
 User support to help users with any problems they might have.

The maintenance process will be continuous and will help keep the system stable and secure.

8. Database: MySQL or PostgreSQL

• Development Server: XAMPP/WAMP

• Database Utilities: phpMyAdmin, DB Designer, MySQL Workbench

• Security: Password hashing, SQL injection protection, data encryption

Database Tables and Design

There will be a total of 10 core database tables, each playing a distinct role in the ecosystem:

1. Users Table - Holds user information like ID, name, email, password, role, contact.

2. Donations Table - Records food items donated, type, quantity, expiry, timestamp.

3. Requests Table - Serves to store requests made by recipient organizations or individuals.

4. Pickups Table - Holds pickup scheduling information, assigned volunteer, status.

5. Deliveries Table - Records delivery status, recipient confirmation, and timestamps.

6. Volunteers Table - Stores volunteer profiles and assignments.

7. Feedback Table - Collects reviews and comments after every transaction.

8. Locations Table - Holds donor and recipient addresses, geo coordinates.

9. Categories Table - Holds predefined food categories (grains, bakery, dairy, etc.).

10. Audit Logs Table - Serves as a place for storing user activity logs for transparency and
traceability.

Each one of these tables will be joined by foreign keys where necessary (e.g., user_id in
Donations pointing to Users table). Many-to-many relations such as between Donations and
Requests will be handled through junction tables if necessary.

Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)

• Users (1) --- (M) Donations

• Users (1) --- (M) Requests

• Donations (1) --- (1) Pickups --- (1) Deliveries (1) --- (1) Requests

•Users (1) --- (M) Feedback

•Volunteers (1) --- (M) Pickups

•Locations (1) --- (M) Users, Requests, Donations

ER modeling will be in MySQL Workbench or draw.io to give a visual schema, helpful for team
coordination and academic presentation.

Expected Outputs and Benefits

Practical outputs produced by the system will be:

•A structured record of all donations, deliveries, and requests.

•Administrative reports daily and monthly.

•Real-time monitoring dashboard.

•Searchable logs and feedback for trust establishment.

•Trend and hotspot data visualization.

The benefits to society will be far-reaching: less food waste, better public health, enhanced
community well-being, enabled local charities, and enhanced civic participation.

Conclusion

The Food Waste Reduction and Redistribution System is a contemporary, database-supported

solution to an ancient humanitarian crisis. With a well-organized and highly functional DBMS,
this project will close the gap between abundance of food and hunger. With the utilization of
state-of-the-art tools, careful planning, and user-centered design methodology, the system will be
impactful, secure, and scalable. It is not merely a technical fix, but a call to action for society to
become more sustainable and equitable.