Concept
Our prototype is a device that compresses compost organic waste to allow for convenient and quick disposal compared to traditional methods of storing fresh compost in a bin. This prototype will allow all types of compost waste to be efficiently compacted and quickly decomposed into compost through a single flow. This addresses an issue for in-home composting: that it’s messy, smelly, and takes a lot of work to fully decompose.
The design of the prototype utilizes two main components: a fixed box and a handle-compressor that goes within the box. The user would directly interact with the handle to push down on the waste in the box to compress waste and keep its shape while the material turns into compost. The box and the handle-compressor work together to make the waste into a block-like shape, which then allows the user to quickly dispose of the waste with less mess compared to keeping small compost bags. The physical prototype shows the direct interactions that a user will have with the product, and our video prototype shows more details relating to the composting process of the overall prototype as well as a possible experience that the user will have.
Goals
The reason we created the compressor prototype is to encourage sustainable behaviors and also help users build a practice of composting more rather than throwing things away as “regular” trash. We also created our prototype to be in line with the UN Goals for Sustainable Development, specifically Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. As composting becomes a more common form of waste disposal to help the environment, it becomes more important to allow users more efficient in-home methods to encourage composting and sustainable behaviors.
We shifted our prototype to focus on compressing and decomposing organic waste, so our evaluation metrics have shifted since the start of our project. Below are our updated evaluation metrics:
To evaluate feasibility, the physical prototypes will be tested with users to see whether or not users can successfully complete a given task with the model(s). This will also include analyzing users’ thoughts on completing the task, as well as evaluating the prototype’s usability.
To evaluate usability, the design of the prototype as well as the process shown in the video will be intuitive in that users will know where to place the waste, how to compress it, and how to initiate the decomposition process.
To evaluate impact, the prototype will be user-tested to see if users agree that it will adhere to Goal 12 by acting as a method to reduce waste through recycling, such as composting.
Implementation
In total, we created 3 cardboard prototypes, 2 3D printed prototypes, and 1 video prototype.
First, we created three cardboard prototypes to quickly test the structure and function of the compressor. The following images show our three sketches and cardboard prototypes:
After testing each of our three prototypes, we determined that one of them was most effective for compressing waste and then being able to remove the waste afterward. This prototype contained two parts: the mold and the pressor. The mold is a rectangular box and the pressor has a square base to fit the mold with a flap to shape the trash as it is compressed and a T-shaped handle for the user to grip and press down. To use the compressor, you put your trash into the box, take the pressor, and apply force downwards to compress the trash. We used this cardboard prototype to create a miniature 3D printed model in SolidWorks to test that this fit would work.
The following three images show the rough sketches done to quickly plan the dimensions of the 3D printed miniature compressor, the fit of the printed pressor and mold, and the two separate parts to the print.
After receiving feedback from our classmates we iterated our miniature 3D printed compressor into a larger 3D printed compressor-composter, which involved scaling up the design and adding a “Decompose” button on the pressor. To use this, a user will place compostable waste in the mold, press down on the pressor, and press the “Decompose” button. After an hour, the waste will be fully decomposed and then can be used as compost or fertilizer.
Our video prototype demonstrates a use case where someone doesn’t have the option to compost at home, and their friend encourages them to use this home composter machine. They then use the compost they made to fertilize their houseplant. We created a short storyboard to show the overall progression of our video. Based off the storyboard, we then filmed and developed our video prototype, both of which can be viewed below:
Evaluation
We evaluated the effectiveness of our cardboard prototype by having multiple users interact with the three prototypes to use the box mold and the handle compressor to compress plastic and aluminum foil waste.
We evaluated the effectiveness of our 3D prototype through a critique activity in class and found that while our prototype physically worked, our original plan of using it to compress plastic waste wouldn’t reduce waste, so we changed our prototype to act as a home composter machine.
We evaluated the effectiveness of our video prototype by having people watch the video to see if they understood the purpose of our prototype and the goals we had in mind for the sustainability aspect.
The physical prototypes (cardboard and 3D printed) allowed us to test feasibility and usability since the physical shape let users work through the compressor process to see if it would fit and slide, and also if the grip was usable. We found that the prototypes were feasible and usable for our users and that the grip was very intuitive for pressing down.
The video prototype and the concept of the device in general allowed us to test impact, whether the user felt that this could impactfully reduce waste. The best feedback we received advised us to change our initial concept to realign to waste reduction, which resulted in us changing to a composting machine, and our video prototype feedback showed us that that was a successful change—the viewer felt that the product supported the sustainability goal.
Analysis
The cardboard prototype was able to compress the trash the user put in the box and it was an intuitive design so people easily understood how to interact with the prototype. The successful prototype had an open side which allowed the user to remove the trash that was compressed, so this prototype was iterated on.
The 3D printed miniature prototype effectively fit together to compress trash that was placed inside and was rigid and strong enough to tolerate pressing and molding the trash. However, as we mentioned before, the intent to compress plastic trash would not reduce waste, so we changed this to a compressor that creates organic compost. We changed our design by adding a button that enables quick composting.
Our video prototype then demonstrated this quick composting process. Viewers of our video said that it was concise, clear, and also entertaining. In terms of improvement, they noted that we could provide more context to the problem by stating why composting is more beneficial for the environment. We implemented this change in our video.
Looking back on our work, while our whole process effectively helped us refine and redesign our prototype into something that successfully met the goal, one thing we would change is to spend more time at the beginning considering whether our design actually met the goal. In this way, we would be designing correctly from the start, rather than having a sudden shift after the feedback from the 3D-printed miniature prototype.