Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
3.20
Redrawing and Reimagining the Waste Map: Design for Recycling
This week’s assignment builds upon step 2.4 Design for Recycling: Reducing Waste on the Drawing Board, where we looked at how the actual production and manufacturing could be redesigned to make recycling more effective and circular. It’s now time to reimagine recycling and redraw the linear waste stream.
For this assignment you’re going to need the biggest paper, or cardboard, you can find or a bigger whiteboard. And multi-colored pens, and other things you might want to add. You can also use different mind-map or visualization tools online.
1. Decide on a consumer product or service provider would you like to redesign
Pick one consumer product of a specific brand or an existing service structure in one local place that you would like to redesign for recycling. It can be something that is easier to redesign or something that at the start feels close to impossible. It can be something you work with every day or something you want to know more about.
One suggestion is to divide the paper into one half labeled ‘Now/2025’ on the left, and then on the right you write ‘Future’ with a possible year. Draw the product or service you have selected in the centre of the left side.
2. Investigate how the product or service is constructed today
Do a quick investigation into how the product or service structure is currently constructed, focus on questions like:
- How long is it intended to last?
- Which materials have been used?
- Have any component or the whole product been constructed to be recycled?
- Are there other brands or examples of the same product or service that are easier to recycle?
You can now add important facts and connections to your left side of the paper around the product or service in the middle.
3. Redesign for Recycling
Now for the most difficult part – try to reimagine, redesign the product or service in a way that eliminates as much waste as possible, and maximizes the lifespan, and uses materials that easily can be reused and/or recycled, and that still provides the same function or societal service. And as mentioned before – it doesn’t have to be perfect or cover all aspects.
You can add your drawings or digital visualizations here in Studium as a comment, link to a social media or blog post, or link in Whatsapp.
© Daniel Mossberg, CEMUS, Uppsala University and Sonali Phadke, studio Alternatives and Stephanie Foote