Satellite bins - product research design (2017)

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Satellite bins (2017)

Bin design to promote recycling in campus

Satellite bins are recycling bins attached to the existing trashing bins. By creating a split-second diversion, satellite bins hijack user’s existing behaviour of throwing away to incorporate recycling habits.

Brief -

Redesign the existing recycling bins in campus.

Our team started the project by asking NUS students on their current attitude towards recycling as well as shadowing at various recycling spots to observe their recycling behaviours in school.

And we realized that casual trashing is the most the common behaviour of the NUS students. Every time after they purchase a can or bottle drink, they consume and throw to the nearest bin without looking for possible recycling bins around.

So for most of the students, " Recycling is not a first intention, but trashing is. "

Interview quotes from students in various faculties.

Design opportunity -

So we ask ourselves, how might we hijack the usual behaviour of throwing away to incorporate new recycling habits?

This leads to our final design solution - satellite bins.

Satellite bins are small recycling bins attached to the trashing bins that hijack the existing behaviour of throwing away to incorporate recycling habits by creating an instant split-second diversion. Placement of the satellite bins and stickers diverts the user’s initial intention from throwing away their recyclables to recycling them into the satellite bins.

We did many rounds of prototyping and testing on the form, contamination, capacity and visuals of the satellite bins at different popular trashing spots in school.