Design Opportunities

As a designer, I hope to discover opportunities for real change regarding trash in my community. As I sorted my family’s trash for one month, I noted evolving solutions in the way of packaging; the real innovation here being in the materials. Landfill-destined materials eventually being replaced with recyclable or biodegradable materials that may head, if one exists, to a domestic compost pile. If we are able to reach Cradle to Cradle‘s projected ideal, trash will follow nature’s laws. Trash will no longer be waste, but rather biological or technical nutrients to further feed the earth and our consumption. We will happily toss our packaging on the ground much like cherry trees lose their blossoms. Those things that won’t biodegrade will be upcycled as ‘technical nutrients’. In the interim, we are still creating mountains of trash. “In 2007, Americans generated about 254 million tons of trash.”

Perhaps there is a design opportunity not just in materials, but in the receptacle. According to anthropological studies conducted by The Garbage Project, people are more conscientious and produce less garbage when trash cans are limited in size and availability.

Though unpublicized, Royal Carting has 35 gallon cans available to local residents upon request. I hope to get an initial 30-50 families to switch to the smaller receptacles. I will supply colorful stickers with informative facts for these families to attach to their new cans. On trash days these curbside receptacles become a neighborly ad campaign for waste reduction. The sticker will also let residents know how they can procure a 35 gallon version, a physical reminder to reduce weekly waste.

Another idea on the receptacle front, is to redesign the kitchen can as a smart home device, giving households access to information regarding volume and weight on a daily and/or weekly basis. Rather than camouflage, the domestic waste can would reveal, helping consumers make better choices.