Rowville Waste Management

System design to support composting on a neighbourhood scale.

What would happen to our waste if rubbish trucks were no longer able to collect and dispose of waste as often as the can now? This design is for a community composting system for Rowville. In their investigations students identified 42% of waste collected was recycling but only a few people were composting. In interviews students found out that people found composting confusing, did want or were not sure how to set up a system; others simply didn’t like the look of it. The Rowville Waste Management System consists of a fourth rubbish bin – a bin designed for composting. Residents placed their compost into the top of the bin and several weeks later they were able to retrieve compost. At the bottom of the bin there is a smaller drawer that can be pulled out, and wheeled away when it is full of compost. Residents can use the compost on their own garden or wheel it to the community compost depot and empty it where others can use it. The depots are placed in convenient places, and in places that generate a lot of food waste – the end of streets, schools or at the local shops. The system is also good for people living in apartment buildings, enabling those who do not have private gardens to participate in a compost system.

Designer

Nikki Andrews, Oj Raj, Ivan Gunawan, Hong Ning Chan

Domain

Systems & Services

Studio Leader

Mark Strachan

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