Thirteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

A recycling campaign has been launching over the past decade in Hong Kong. It is successful and the public has recognized that recycling is a major issue before waste disposal from household. According to the Environment Protection Department, source separation of domestic waste is one of the key factors to drive recycling so as to reduce the loading of landfills. According to the government report, plastic waste contributes to about 19% of the total municipal solid wastes in Hong Kong in 2011. From the view point of the recycling industry, recycled plastic materials are of high value only if they are collected in already sorted and processed types.The aim of the present research is to explore the possibility of mobile collection points to motivate the general public to achieve active recycling. Respective stakeholders including young adults, older persons, representatives of recyclers, and design practitioners have been invited to participate in the iterative design process. Ultimately, the preliminary design direction with improved usability will be visualized and manufactured by the local wood recycler as the existing practice is obviously not inviting and not user-friendly at all. The present research adopts participatory design approach involving older persons followed by an in-depth interview. New design offers a flexible solution for the operators to have size adjustment on each of the recycling boxes fitting the needs of nineteen districts in Hong Kong and will be launched in the first quarter of 2019.