Can we design a secure blue box to enhance our city-wide recycling program?
Project description:
The current blue bin program in Hamilton is insufficient. Each household has 2 insubstantial and easily damaged blue for weekly recycling. The poor design and open tops lead to mass litter around the city and results in frustrated homeowners avoiding recycling in many weather conditions.City staff spends thousands of dollars yearly picking up loose blue box material from our streets.
Goals:
Students will research and/or design a new type of bin to hold household recycling. This bin design needs to be stylish, convenient to store, able to be cleaned, ergonomic for the staff picking up - but most importantly a secure bin to keep its contents in one place.
In addition, students will develop a proposal for the adoption of the new bin system by tracking and assessing benefits to the City of Hamilton. These may include a variety of benefits including cost savings measures by shifting to bi-weekly pick-up (fuel savings), and in reduction of retrieval of blue box containments in inclement weather, reduction in WSIB incidents and workplace injuries, safer streets with reduction of trucks on road.
Deliverable:
Propose an updated version of the blue bin design to be used in Hamilton.
Supplement proposal with cost/benefit analysis
Where the work will go and what it will be used for:
Ensuring the City streets will be clean, but also allowing road and park staff to focus on other areas such as roads and parks maintenance. Completion of this project will provide solutions for the future of recycling.
City Staff: Chris Dunsmuir, District Supervisor, Roads