3R

The challenge

One of the best ways we can fight pollution on our planet is to attack the problem where it begins; consumer consumption. Sadly, consumer-end recycling is still a cumbersome and difficult process for many people. Due to the lack of recycling bins, lack of incentives, many different recycling rules and policies, and the information gap between consumers and recycling companies, consumers are less likely to recycle or recycle badly.

The solution

Though many behavior changing programs have been tested (monetary incentive, positive feedback, penalties, etc.), most seem to have little effect, especially in the long term. We therefore propose a completely different way to approach this problem. We want to make recycling so easy you can almost do it without thinking, and we propose a simple solution: color-coded stickers on products, which correspond to color-coded waste bins. This solution not only eliminates the middle man, recycling and sorting companies, but also ensures consumer recycling is at its most efficient.