Plastic Film Recycling
The project was part of the 2019 Design for America's national project on facilitating plastic film recycling at the local community — San Marcos (SM), Texas.
Responsibility: Project lead — facilitate design workshop with team members, guide design research direction and implementation plan
Project timeline: 3 months
Design Process: Identity, Immerse, Reframe, Ideate, Build, Test
Community partners: FFRG, Texas State Campus Recycling Center, RAs (Residential Assistant)
Identify The Challenges
Objective: identify the potential challenge of plastic film recycling in San Marcos.
Community Partners: reached out to the main grocery store in SM—HEB that offer plastic drop-off station, the campus recycling center, and resident assistants to better understand how they currently utilize the recycling system. We also interviewed 3 families and 7 students who live in SM.
Key Takeaways
1. Although there are plastic film recycling drop-off locations in San Marcos, they have not been utilized with full potential. The majority of community members don’t know what plastic film is and if it can be recycled.
2. Plastic film recycling isn’t accessible for Texas State students, which is 50% of the San Marcos population. Informing students on how to recycle plastic film would make a considerable change in the community.
Recycling drop-off station at Walmart
Recycling drop-off station at HEB
“Design needs to adapt before making organizational changes.”
1. Structural Change: plastic film collection infrastructure
2. Changes in the Nature of Work: how the local community utilizes recycling program
How Can We
provides community members
at the grocery store plastic film recycling information
so that they can consume less plastic package and drop off their plastic film after uses?
How Can We
give students
on campus a creative incentive system
so that they feel excited to eliminate plastic film on campus?
How Can We
organizes a pilot program for RA’s and students
in the dorms
so that they have a better understanding of plastic film recycling and how to do it?
Immerse
Objective: conduct qualitative research with the end users to better understand different challenges of plastic film recycling in the daily basis.
Design Method:
▪ 4 interviews with Texas Disposal System, Campus Recycling Center, Campus Compost Program, HEB
▪ 30 user-generated artifacts & 7 participatory research with college students
▪ 1 field trip at Campus Recycling Center
Key Takeaways
1. Recycling info is created at the Residential Assistants’ discretion, info is usually jam packed and not readable or eye-catching.
2. Most students care about recycling both plastic and plastic film. They would love to know more about plastic film recycling and see something implemented to make recycling easier.
USER-GENERATED ARTIFACT
Objective
To understand how the current recycling system is being used, we went to more than 30 dorm rooms and took pictures of their recycling bins. We took advantage of this opportunity to interact more with our end users.
Takeaway
Most students don't utilize the campus recycling system because there is no instruction provided. They don’t know what plastic film is.
PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH
Objective
To understand the user’s understanding of plastic film recycling, their recycling habits, frustration, motivation, and goals + recruit users for more in-depth research and testing, we set up a low-fidelity pop-up station and ask the students to perform 3 tasks:
Identify plastic film items
Put recyclable items in the right bin
Identity their sources of influence — how do they learn about recycling?
Takeaway
Most students learn about recycling from googling or from their families and friends.
Reframe
Objective
Identify the key challenges of plastic film recycling
Design Method
▪ Participatory interview: the user works with the designer on their journey map, which helps the designer identify friction points when recycling plastic film.
▪ Bundle/cluster our findings to narrow the challenge space to one feasible challenge where design can make an impact.
Key Challenges
1. Recycling is a lifestyle and influenced by the community, but it takes individual effort. Recycling information is available but not accessible.
2. Recycling info is created at the RAs discretion. RA is one of the direct influencers in our community.
3. Recycling projects on campus in the past couldn't sustain for two main reasons: viability & lack of resources, especially labor and finance.
4. Although plastic film recycling (single stream) is an easier task compared to conventional plastic, it requires extra steps besides the residents' daily disposal routine, such as separating, cleaning, drying, and taking them back to the store.
CHALLENGE FLOW CHART
The flow chart helps identify different challenges that take place in the user's decision-making process. It also reveals opportunity areas where design can facilitate changes.
Ideation
We begin the ideation process by rewriting the How can we question as we have more research insights. Then, we define our design goals, and Measure of Success to prepare for the next step — Prototype testing. We narrow our ideas into 3 main concepts.
We use Mural to help us cluster our ideas into themes.
CONCEPT 1: Interactive Learning Toolkit
CONCEPT 2A: Lighter. Quicker. Cheaper!
Share ownership with the community members.
CONCEPT 2B: Community-Funded Program.
By Community. For Community.
#1 How can we
create an incentive learning tool
for RAs to share plastic film recycling info with the students who live in the dorm
so that they all can start recycling plastic film?
Description
An interactive learning tool features games that allows users to interact with PF information and understand the recycling process and highlight environmental impacts.
#2a How can we
simplify plastic film recycling process at home
for students by integrating the new system in their weekly garbage disposal routine
so that they can recycle at ease?
Description
A receptacle bin (printed media) works hand-in-hand with our interactive learning toolkit (digital media). Information about plastic film & a how-to guide will be printed on the bin. They can take one home to start their recycling process.
The template & labels are available online to download. If the consumers want customize their bins with different design, a low-cost plastic film DIY kit will ship to their apts. This can help us sustain the program.
#2b How can we
simplify plastic film recycling process at home
for students by integrating the new system in their weekly garbage disposal routine
so that they can recycle at ease?
Description
A community funded program allows students to drop-off plastic film at a walkable-distanced location. Another student get paid when signing up on our website to pick up plastic film to drop of at HEB. The program follows crowdfunding for donation business models, in which funds generated by community donation or adoptions by local facility organizers.
Build & Test
Due to the timeline restraint, we decided to move forward with idea #2—Receptacle bin
We choose on 2 different materials (cardboard and fabric) that can be reused or recycled, and 3 designs to could elevate the user experience — making plastic film recycling fun.
Communication Strategy: educate, inspire, clear call for action through visual and content hierarchy
Label Design:
▪ A tagline and 3-step instruction in the front
▪ A brief description of the project
▪ A simple illustration in the back about the environmental impact of plastic film
Three prototypes with different features: (from the left)
▪ Easy to hand on door knob, the car’s driving stick, sit under the sink or on the countertop.
▪ Foldable and stylish, easily attached to grocery bag and backpack.
▪ Easily compressed.
We explored 2 different protocols for the user test
#1
▪ User are give the prototype without any instruction
▪ The designer observes and fill out the feedback sheet
▪ The designer ask follow up questions
#2
▪ User are give the prototype without any instruction
▪ User explain the product for us
▪ The designer observe ask follow up questions
▪ The designer give the user 2 prototypes for A/B testing on features, materials, experiences.
Feedback & Revision
User Feedbacks
1. A lot of information. Confusing language
2. Users interact with the prototype based on their assumptions on the shape.
3. Users keep mentioning the portability of the prototype.
4. Great concept. Willing to adapt.
Iteration direction
1. Clarity of Language: direct call for action, implement icons in the label
2. Simplify some features of the receptacle bins
3. Prefer a lighter material, easily compact and carried
Outcomes
Revised Prototype #1 and #2
Revised Label
Project Poster (click to view PDF)
One Pager (click to view PDF)