Bink

An in home food waste management system.

 
 

INTRODUCTION

 
 

An estimated 20% of all food in the United States ends up in a landfill. This has a huge environmental impact, and with an estimated one in four children going to sleep hungry this is a huge waste. It is estimated the value of all this food waste is around  160 Billion US dollars yearly. A means to combat this issue was undertaken in collaboration with North Carolina waste bin manufacturing company Toter. 

 
 
 

DISCOVERY

Through user surveys and expert interviews, it was concluded that the majority of the food waste in the consumers home is generated primarily during food preparation. As produce, dairy and meats are prepared damaged and what is view as "less ethically pleasing food" is thrown away. Additionally, the process of identifying and removing expired product/produce a majority of users perform during food preparation. This lead to the discovery of a major pain-point for consumers; food waste quickly produces high levels of odor.  To combat this issue users were found to relying heavily on the garbage disposal and flushing food waste down the toilet. Following expert interviews, it was concluded this places an undesirable strain on the sewage system, alongside directly casing a number of issues. Sewage blockages, food for pests, difficulty processing, and equipment degradation were just some of the problems identified.

Another pain-point identified for the user in addressing food waste is the limited options in how to process food waste. The Majority of food waste in The United States end up in the landfill. While the majority of people living in the countryside recycle and compost food waste to some extent, as you move into the suburban areas this number drops dramatically. Once you enter the city almost no one is recycling/composting due to limitations of the city. As a result food waste ends up in landfills where it has difficulty being broken down due to lack of aeration. This again causes a high level of methane to be produced as a by-product, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than Co2. As a major pain-point for the user was identified to be the lack of recycling options we started looking outside the borders of The United States for solutions       

Looking to Europe, more specifically Norway we were able to identify a highly successful waste system. Utilizing color-coded bags users would separate waste into three different categories in their home; plastic, food and residual waste. These bags all went into the same dumpster or were thrown down the same garbage shoot. Collected by the waste disposal department all wast was taken to a visual sorting facility, where the waste was separated utilizing automated systems under human supervision. Plastics were sent to recycling. Residual waste was sent to inspiration facilities to produce electricity and district heating. Food waste was sent for further processing into biogas and bio-fertilizer. With the aim of a food waste processing system like the one found in Norway design criteria were established. Even systems as advanced as the one found in Norway was relying on the user to perform a set number of task.

The City of Oslo waste management graphic

 
 

Following the initial discovery phase of the design process the following design chriteria were established for this project;

  • The product must not cause harm to the user. 
  • The product must not be disruptive. 
  • The product must function with both high tech and low tech waste disposal processing systems.
  • The product must have a high level of ease of use.
  • Th product must have a high level of adaptability concerning food waste recycling.
  • The product must be adaptable to user needs.
  • The product must adhere to Universal Design Principles.
 
 
 

USER ADAPTATIONS

Creating a system that meets user needs was undertaken by first understanding the system's users have created themselves in order manage waste in their home. Middle-class users this project focused on were found to already be taking steps to separate their waste both in order to recycle when possible, and to eliminate pinpoints. Users were more specifically found to be separating out food waste in order to; 

  • Minimize the smell.
  • Minimize the "yuck" factor.
  • Keeping waste dry.
  • Allow for more frequent waste removal.
  • Keeping waste out of sight.

 

 

During the process of identifying user-adapted solutions, market research into existing products was conducted. In order to design a product that meets user needs it was imperative to understand the products that were already on the market. To understand how users were using these products, and understanding how users adapt products for their needs. A vast number of products exist on the market in regards to food waste management, including; under the sink storage solutions, backyard recycling systems, kitchen counter-top recycling machines and storage bins.

Overall feedback on these products was;

  • High cost,
  • Unethically pleasing,
  • Hard to clean  
  • Too little storage/processing space.

Additionally, by mapping out key product features we were able to determine potential market gaps. 

 

AGILE DESIGN

This project was undertaken using the Agile way of design thinking. For good design to happen it is important for designers to work with all stakeholders. No designer can identify all problems that may arise. Close collaboration between multidisciplinary teams allows for issues and limitations to be identified early. By working closely with the manufacturer and our target users we were able to early identify limitations in development, and identify key features.

 
 
 
 

IDEATION

With date from preliminary research, the team has been able to lay out guidelines for the ideation stage. With a multi-size, low to medium tech, low to medium cost gap in the market identified concepts meeting the following criteria can be conceptualized.

  • The product must not cause harm to the user. 
  • The product must not be disruptive. 
  • The product must not encourage the wasteful behavior.
  • The product must not be disruptive of current kitchen behavior.
  • The product must not be disruptive of current kitchen environments.
  • The product must function with both high tech and low tech waste disposal processing systems.
  • The product must have a high level of ease of use.
  • Th product must have a high level of adaptability concerning food waste recycling.
  • The product must be adaptable to user needs.
  • The product must adhere to Universal Design Principles.
  • The product must work to minimize the smell.
  • The product must be easy to clean.
  • The product must be cost-effective.
 
 
 

CONCEPTS

A great variety of concepts were developed during rounds of ideation. The concepts that were thought out were categorized into the four following sections; In-sink, In-cabinet, On-counter, and floor based. An additional category of backyard concepts was also developed but was abandoned early as these solutions conflicted with a number of the design criteria. In-sink solutions focused on systems that the user placed in their sinks. Utilizing the sink as a means of removing excess liquids, allowed for the minimization of smell and easy cleanup. As a large portion of users utilizes the garbage disposal for food waste management creating a system that allows for normal user behavior was found to be highly desirable. In-cabinet solutions focused on systems that went as the name suggest into cabinets. More specifically in the cabinets under the sink. A large portion of users already utilize the space under the sink for waste management and it allows for close proximity to the sink. Some of the solutions conceptualized this category was; Garbage disposal that separate food waste into separate bins/bags, Dehumidifying food-waste shredders, recyclable throw-out bins and cabinet composers. On-counter solutions included; collection bins, dehumidifiers, composters. Floor-based solutions explored a variety of wastebins incorporating a variety of solutions, including but not limited to; composting, dehumidification, air filters, compactors, and shredders.

 
 

PROTOTYPING

Concepts that were taken beyond the ideation stage were developed as prototypes in several stages utilizing a variety of materials. this was done in order to help designers and manufacturers communicate ideas, limitations and to confirm desired functionality. Prototypes were also placed in the hands of users for stakeholder feedback. Early paper and foam core prototypes focused on form development and confirmation on design hypotheses. High fidelity prototypes made from plastics (ABS) focused on development towards meeting user needs and eliminating pinpoints. Added features like; straining, water replants, slanted interiors, solid liner, and airflow discovered thru this process resulted in a significant increase in ease of use leading to higher desirability among users.

EARLY PROTOTYPES

HIGH FIDELITY PROTOTYPES

USER TESTING

User testing was conducted in several stages in order to collect feedback on design decisions, as concepts were developed. Early testing was conducted on ease to access personnel, before developing higher fidelity prototypes utilized for user in-home testing.

In total user, testing was conducted on 9 users spread out over 7 households, primarily homeowners in their 30's and 40's in two in-home testing rounds. Features and solutions discovered through these tests were;

  • Slanted bottom for assisted liquid drainage. 
  • A lid on in sink unit to prevent flies and limit smell.
  • Smaller food-waste storage unit with a built-in carbon filter.
  • Foot pedal for assisted dumping (no touch).
  • Stacking grooves/Liquid collector.

 

BINK


In-home food waste management system. Features an In-sink unit designed primarily in the sink. By hanging the unit over the sink divider, the user may easily collect their food waste preparation and cleanup. The built-in straining functionality allows for any access liquid to be naturally drained while also speeding up the process of drying any produce in the container. A solid liner also allows for the unit to be used as a tabletop container that may be lined with a biodegradable waste-bag. The unit also comes with a lid to prevent bugs from accessing any produce, while also maintaining kitchen aesthetics. Food waste is intended for storage in this unit for up to one day.

The food waste storage bin comes with a built-in carbon filter and is intended for food waste storage for three to five days. Featuring an automatic closing mechanism users utilize the foot pedal for a hands-free access to the bin. A steel wire holds up the biodegradable waste-bags intended for use with this unit. This unit can be washed out or run through the dishwasher if need be. This unit can be stacked with other BINK bins, and stacking grooves double as a liquid collection trap to prevent and unwanted leakage. Finally, there is the General Waste and Recycling bin. Essentially a larger version of the Food Waste Storage bin minus the carbon filter. Fully washable with stackability as a key feature. Both units have a receded handle grove keeping the interior of the bins closed off when not open.