ABSTRACT
We start our exploration of ‘unremarkable’ elements of the built environment by focusing on an important yet mundane and frequently overlooked everyday process: waste management, specifically the design of trash bins and landfills. Soon forgotten by those who produce it, waste is magically transported ‘away’ to unimagined, ignored, and marginalised places, with most people rarely pondering the process of waste disposal or the potential significance of rubbish bin design. From the bright pink Gumdrop bin which collects waste chewing gum, to the world's first voting trash bin, to interactive gamification technologies to encourage recycling and a ski slope on top of a landfill in Copenhagen, this chapter outlines how designers can re-imagine waste disposal to be playable, sustainable and salutogenic.
