Green Hunger: Inclusive Recycling Bins

Promoting Environmental Sustainability through Innovative Design

Green Hunger is a set of recycling bins designed by Kin Wai Michael SIU, aimed at promoting environmental sustainability through the image of baby birds. The unique design of these bins illustrates the hunger, eagerness, and urgency of creating an eco-friendly environment. By incorporating the easily recognizable image of baby birds, Green Hunger emphasizes the importance of immediate awareness, attention, and action towards recycling participation. This innovative design overcomes cultural and social differences, allowing people with different backgrounds and abilities to appreciate the design and its underlying meaning.

One of the key strengths of Green Hunger is its inclusivity. The design incorporates a smart interactive device inside the bins, enabling visually impaired individuals to identify the bins using their mobile phones. This feature ensures that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can actively participate in recycling. The use of solar battery technology eliminates the need for frequent battery changes, making the bins more sustainable and efficient.

The materials selected for Green Hunger, such as recycling stainless metal sheet for the body and silicon or PVC for the openings, are not only durable but also recyclable. The simple form and surface texture of the bins make them easier to maintain and clean. Additionally, a newly invented hooking system has been installed to hold the plastic bags, making it convenient for cleaners to clear the recyclables.

The design specifications of Green Hunger are 1200mm x 400mm x 400mm, ensuring that the bins are of an appropriate size for easy use and placement in various urban environments. The project, which started in January 2014 and finished in August 2014 in Hong Kong, involved collaboration between Kin Wai Michael SIU, Chi Hang Paul Lo, and Poonkei Engineering Company.

Intensive research, including observations and interviews, was conducted to understand how people interacted with existing recycling bins and their perception of the image of baby birds. The findings revealed that people were less likely to use the bins due to their unattractive, dirty, and damaged appearance. However, participants, especially children, responded positively to the idea of baby birds, as it created a sense of feeding and nurturing. This led to the conclusion that Green Hunger could transform recycling into a pleasurable daily practice for everyone, including the young and disabled.

Despite the creative, technical, and research challenges faced during the development of Green Hunger, the design team successfully created an attractive and durable product. Through thoughtful design considerations and careful material selection, Green Hunger incorporates both aesthetic and technical features seamlessly. The design of Green Hunger is a creative solution that emerged from extensive negotiations among various aesthetic and technical concerns.

Green Hunger was awarded the Bronze A' Design Award in the Street and City Furniture Design category in 2015. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding and creatively ingenious designs that contribute to quality of life improvements and make the world a better place. Green Hunger's incorporation of best practices in art, science, design, and technology showcases its strong technical and creative skills.