Redesign for living

Student design rethink takes on the compost bucket

Where would you go for inspiration on sustainable design? Everyday items often merit fresh attention, and the RSA Design Directions awards might seem another obvious place to look. Its 2008 winners don’t disappoint: two in particular have come up with novel ‘everyday’ solutions.

A winner in the Sustainable Packaging category, De Montfort University student Craig Strangward came up with a design for battery packaging that allows customers to slide new batteries out and put used ones back in. Once all of the new batteries are used, customers can send the old ones back to the company for recycling, preventing the toxic disposal of depleted batteries.

Sole prizewinner in the Domestic Greenclean category, the Bio Pod [pictured above] is a kitchen-top waste processor that treats kitchen waste ready for composting. Designed by Jonathan Fenton, a student at Loughborough University, the Pod uses a nifty ionisation process, encouraging the user to recycle organic waste by eliminating unpleasant smells and health hazards.

The number of entrants in the Sustainable Packaging category, added to the awards three years ago, have increased sharply since then. “This year’s scheme demonstrates the growing interest and real enthusiasm young designers have in tackling sustainability,” said RSA head of design Susan Hewer.
– Tom Bamford

24 June 2008

Tom Bamford