Frustrated by stuff you have to throw away?

Katy Anderson

14 May 2013

Together we can unpick the problems and find solutions for achieving zero waste.

Guest writer Katy Anderson, People's Design Lab

However hard I try to cut down on waste, I still end up throwing stuff away.  Last week it was a kettle that started to blow our electric fuses. I'm not very confident with electronics, but I did try to fix it.  I couldn't work out how to get the screws off so I gave up and took it for recycling. 

Then there are those black plastic and polystyrene trays for food that can't go with the other plastics.  And laminated foil crisp packets - all unrecyclable. I know I could just not buy them, but I like crisps. Why can't they just sell me them in a recyclable packet?

The People's Design Lab was born out of a frustration with badly designed products that end up in the bin. It brings together individuals, designers, scientists, expert repairers and manufacturers to find creative solutions to design out waste. Together, we can unpick the problems and find solutions for achieving zero waste. 

Manufacturers do listen to customers. When a community in Capannori, Italy realised their bins were full of unrecyclable Lavazza coffee capsules - an estimated billion go to landfill each year in Italy - they worked with the coffee company on a redesign. New recyclable capsules are due to hit the Italian market soon, so people can enjoy their espressos without worrying about waste.

This idea of community-powered design comes from American Zero Waste thinker, Paul Connett. Collaboration between designers, industry and customers is crucial because no one part of the chain can solve the problems by themselves.

Take plastic wrapping on cucumbers, for example. It seems unnecessary, but extends its shelf life by six weeks. As functional packaging, it works. So maybe the real issue is why our food system needs a perishable product like a cucumber to travel long distances and sit on shelves for such a long time. The People's Design Lab aims to investigate these problems, find solutions and lobby decision makers to create change.

Nominate the products that frustrate you because you can't recycle, re-use or repair them for a redesign. You can submit your ideas online before 27 May. Read other people's bugbears, from pump dispensers to household electronics, and vote for your favourites. We also want to hear about the least-wasteful designs you've seen.

The People's Design Lab is a social enterprise and research centre, one of six finalists in Nesta's Waste Reduction Challenge Prize.

Friends of the Earth's Make It Better campaign is calling for companies to rethink product design and manufacturing systems to reduce their impact on people and planet.