Problem

paper cup takes more than 20 years to decompose in a sealed landfill.

Used paper-cups in the rainwater drain

Used paper cups is a major challenge in Bangalore city. According to research a paper cup takes more than 20 years to decompose in a sealed landfill. In addition, due to the inefficient management, the paper cups are found everywhere on the roadside, in the vegetation, rainwater drains, waterbodies etc..

Common Scenarios

Use of paper cups have increased more than 70% since the pandemic.

Vendors give the cups to garbage collectors.

Many vendors light the cups on fire.

The cups which end up on the ground are blown away and pollute the environment.

How did we address the issue?

A cup made with a leaf?

First I explored working with organic material. Although the Idea was very interesting, due to multiple reasons this idea had to be let go.

Plates and spoons made out of betel nut leaves and wood.

Design a new bin for paper cups. When I broke down the research it was revealed, collecting the cups efficiently would help tackle the issue. So we went on designing a trash bin exclusively for paper cups which would significantly help in solving the problem.

Ideation

Possible designs

The ideation started by trying different forms of solution. Later it was narrowed down to the first option. Based on the production budget, User research and complexity of building one.

Option - 1

A metal rod which is pointed on the top so the users can poke a hole in the cup and let it slide down.

Option - 2

A trash bin with multiple compartments for different types of trash.

Option - 3

A cylindrical structure which stacks the cups when thrown inside it.

Iteration

It seemed simple at first.

Although in theory it seemed easy and practical when I made the initial prototype the problems started to surface. Eventually the bin worked just as we wanted it!

The vacuum in the structure made the cups turn and get stuck.

Prototype - 1

Prototype - 2

The gaps were too wide, which made the cups get stuck while falling down.

Prototype - 3

The rings on the side made the structure buckle inwards which stopped the cups from falling.

Working Prototype

By reducing the number of rings and cutting in a “U” shape, made the cups fall with ease.

User Testing

Success with a surprise!

Excited to try our creation in real life, we set up two bins near a vendors shop. The results were pretty cool. In 48 hrs 178 cups were collected. Furthermore a very interesting observation was made. The folks who threw the cups in the bins also enjoyed watching the cup fall in the previous cup. Almost like a game of Tetris.

Installation / Result

12,000 paper cups were sent to shredder in 30 days.

The bins were installed strategically in 3 shops. In 30 days 12,000 paper cups were collected from these trash bins, which meant 12,000 cups were going to be recycled instead of ending up in landfills or polluting the environment.

Shop - 2

Shop - 1

Shop - 3

Reflection / learning

• Research and understanding the core of the problem reveals multiple complications, also learning behavioural psychology is a very useful tool when designing a product.

• Although In theory the idea seemed to work. In reality it did not. Testing and Iterating is the best way to make it work.

• Sharing the Idea with the team and taking suggestions is vital for the product development as a whole.

• Lastly, the feeling of watching the product work in real life, is rewarding beyond happiness.