• After installation, correct composting increased by 20 percent, and incorrect recycling decreased by 15 percent.

Winner, 2017 Communication Arts Interactive Annual
– Environmental Category

SEGD Merit Award 2017

Jury Comments:
“As sophisticated as the implementation is, this project succeeds by doing only one thing and doing it extremely well. And although it almost seems like technology overkill, the slick presentation layer enhances the effectiveness of the message.” 

“This project cleverly addresses the always challenging conundrum of knowing which bin to put your waste in in a meaningful way through the use of easy to read digital photo infographics. The added feature of informing the user how much they have saved is the highlight of this entry.”

Comments by Karen Cheng, project designer: 
What are the project’s core features? “First, the bins give users positive feedback for throwing away their waste. This was very surprising to users, because the normal trash experience is mindless—people generally don’t think at all when throwing something away. Second, users were very engaged by the video loop that plays when the bins aren’t in use. We call the loop ‘Sort Stream’ because it shows a stream of correctly sorted items falling into each bin. It was difficult finding an attractive way to show trash—garbage is inherently ugly! After several iterations, we found that arranging the items precisely—upright, in neat rows—gave the animations a kind of deliberate beauty and dignity.”

How many videos, images and other media elements does the project have? “Three Sort Stream videos—one each for compost, recycle and landfill—and three different ‘talk bubbles’/scale alerts—one for each of the bins. Each bubble/scale alert explains how much money could be saved if everyone at UW recycled or composted the same amount as the user has just thrown away. Savings are calculated by weight—UW pays $145 per ton for landfill and $60 per ton for compost, and recycling is free.”

What was the response? “After installation, correct composting increased by 20 percent, and incorrect recycling decreased by 15 percent. The overall amount of waste correctly diverted from landfill increased by 8 percent—a substantial environmental impact. For perspective, from 2009 to 2013, diversion increased 1 to 2 percent annually; from 2013 to 2015, diversion increased 3 to 5 percent annually from the implementation of public area/restroom paper towel composting. An unexpected result: the installation was quite popular because it was fun for students to throw away their garbage and receive feedback. This popularity generated an increased volume of trash, which required more labor from custodians to service.