Solid waste recovering

This was the first project and the beginning of our Design-Systems_Sustainability journey 2007-2008.

We were in contact with the authorities of Mexico City’s borough ‘Benito Juarez’. It was requested to perform an analysis of the current waste collection system and propose ‘new designs’. No clear statement of the problem or needs was given.

The group was divided in small teams, and each was in charge of a section of the entire system. We managed to perform some ethnographic research: field trips, photo journals, interviews, surveys, among other methods. Great amount of data was gathered and later processed. By creating a general map of all interconnections and flows, we identified different possible interventions.

There are two types of waste collectors: on ‘foot’ and on ‘truck’, each had equipment designed for another context and not fitting their needs. Therefore, new equipment was designed, as well as the interactions between them. One example are the trucks, some of them are German-built, mechanically complex and hard to fix, and incredibly under-used in capacity, mainly because the collectors separate recyclable garbage to generate extra income (because of proper labour contract and working benefits), trucks don’t have specific areas to contain the separated material, which results in bags hanging in the exterior, normally interpreted as lack of cargo area, but most of the time trucks are loaded less than half in their designed internal storage capacity.

Many more complex relations and situations were identified, and a series of new products, services and strategies were designed. As well as new business opportunities that improve general income for workers and the government.

This project was shortlisted as a finalist at the INDEX Design Award 2009.