Problem
Trash, especially plastic waste, is being generated in huge quantities around the world and is being managed poorly. Trash is not only a waste of resources and precious commodities but it is also building up on land and in our oceans causing severe environmental and health problems. Trash is becoming a larger and larger problem for us that we need to address by tackling the problem at its source and by remediating the damage it has caused. One of the biggest causes of plastic pollution especially in the UK is the lack of communication and shared information between boroughs. This means that there is no fixed national set of regulations on how waste is collected and managed i.e. what can and can’t be recycled. For example, 77% of councils can recycle plastic pots, tubs and trays, the other 23% don’t. Similarly, there are over 400 different councils in the UK and between them, there are 39 different sets of rules for recycling. This makes the process of recycling much more complicated for individuals and results in higher levels of waste contamination therefore higher levels of waste being sent to landfills. Furthermore, the signs/symbols on public bins aren’t always that specific or clear on what can and can't be recycled. Unfortunately, packaging can also be very unclear and is one of the primary causes of confusion when it comes to deciding what to put in a bin.
Concept
A bottom up approach - By extending the consumer responsibility. This is a smart bin that aims primarily to reduce contamination of waste, a primary contributor to landfill waste, in school recycling bins but also to generate more of an awareness in pupils and staff about what can and can’t be recycled. The bin directs users on what compartment to put the item/packaging in an interesting, informative and encouraging way. The hope for this product is to encourage a more mindful approach to waste disposal. Though there are existing prototypes of AI-assisted bins which sort trash automatically, I believe consumers need to be active participants in waste management to facilitate a circular model. The bin is designed primarily for younger pupils (i.e. Junior school and Y7-8) as this is best age to encourage good habits, however, it can still be used by older pupils and is just as beneficial.
Sustainability
The product uses little to no plastic as the bin body is constructed with mount board that is both recyclable and biodegradable, and the electronics hub/casing is 3D printed from PLA (a biodegradable, plant-derived bio-plastic). Due to the limited scope of the project, some parts of the bin body contain glue/double sided tape so need to be removed prior to recycling the product, however, this will not be the case for the final product.
How it works
It is designed to be a flat pack that is delivered to schools and can be assembled within 5-10 minutes. It arrives in 2 parts: the flat pack bin body and the casing which houses the raspberry pi, LCD screen and barcode scanner.
To use the product, the user just needs to press the barcode scanner button, scan the item and the LCD screen displays a graphic which guides the user on what compartment to put the item in. I have created a unique local database on the raspberry pi that associates the products UPC barcode to the compartment the item should be placed in, and also takes into consideration the borough that the bin is being used in. My later hope is to create an open source, verified, cloud based database which allows anyone to have access to this data to improve their recycling be it at home or at work.
Market potential
Currently the product is quite expensive to make, and although the price can be significantly reduced by large scale manufacturing, a few adjustments need to be made to the user interface and bin body. The concept of the bin is very marketable, and I talked to the deputy head who assured me that schools will be very interested in purchasing some units.
The product is also very scalable and can easily be adapted for different environments such as at home or in offices. Another very important feature of this product is its customisability - the stickers can easily be changed allowing for schools to customise each compartment.