Use creativity to
create a solution
to a problem on
your street.
It was judged according to the following
criteria; generosity, international excellence and innovation, feasibility, fun and a better world through creativity.
This project answered the brief by creating
a mechanism that compresses recyclable material so that informal waste collectors
living on my road can make more money
from each bag that they fill.
There are 22 informal waste collectors
and recyclers living on Magnum Road, Honeydew. These people collect recyclable waste in order to support themselves
and their families and what matters to them
is collecting and sorting as much waste
as possible. However this process is tedious, slow and often frustrating, as they don't have efficient tools to work with.
The only tool that appears to help them is
their trolley. These trolleys are bought for R50 and have ironing board legs attached
for a handle. This prevents the trolley from ramming into them whilst going up or down hill.
I discovered that the best way was to use
a crushing force to crush the waste, such as the force of a Vice Grip. Exploration into developing a Vice Grip on a larger scale was conducted however problems were found around sourcing materials in order to do so.
Through interviews with an engineer by the name of Miguel Diaropoulos, we reached the conclusion that Coke bottles are the most difficult object to crush as the bulges at the bottom trap air inside and therefore ‘pop up’ slightly once crushed. Therefore they never really remain completely flat.
Above: Photograph showing the workspace
these experiments were performed.
Right: A vice grip crushing an
energade bottle.
Below: Scamps of various mechanisms inspired
by a Vice Grip.
Although it was not a requirement in
the brief, branding needed to appear on
the mechanism itself. I went about designing
a logo so that maybe one day more
mechanisms can be implemented for other informal waste collectors to use.
Different ways of crushing a can was explored visually, however it wasn’t until
a name was chosen by the informal waste collectors that the logo began to form.
The word ‘Tshiliwano’ was chosen,
which means crusher in Sotho. This word
was chosen in order to indicate to others
that this is a crushing mechanism.
Logo Generation
Above: Logo development. Exploring the different
ways of crushing a can.
Top right : Final logo with x-height specifications.
Next right: Black and white generic, as well as
the inverse.
Right: Application of the logo.
The bolt-like typography and the negative space used in the logo creates a sense
of pressure, compression and has a mechanical quality to it. The colour scheme however makes the logo a lot less serious and gives it a fun, light-hearted quality.
This all creates a productive, practical
and communal tone.
The aim is to improve the recycling process for these people by providing them with another tool that makes this process easier. Therefore a mechanism needs to be produced that is practical, productive and proficient.
It also needs to encourage these people to work together when using this mechanism as they currently work separately to collect and sort their waste. By forcing them to work together, they will hopefully become more community based.
When designing the actual mechanism, various experiments were performed in
order to find the best way to crush plastic bottles and cans. The reason why I chose plastic bottles and cans specifically is because they are the two most common recyclable products collected.
The Final Design
This specific design was designed
for mobility. The highlighted blue area
shows were it detaches. A chain, that can
be disconnected and deported also holds
up the weight.
Instructions appear on the mechanism itself so that those who use it can do so correctly. These instructions make use of icons to illustrate a three-step process:
1. Pull pole down.
2. Weight must lift up.
3. Release pole.
The final product was tested and was
found to hold up to 600 kilograms of weight.
It consists of a tripod with a detachable pole with a detachable 100-kilogram weight at the end of it. This particular prototype was constructed using parts of an old swing
and a recycled bar of concrete.
This illustrates that scrap metal and other building materials can be used to construct this mechanism as it is simple. Therefore it can be easily implemented so that other informal waste collectors and recyclers
can make use of it.
The mechanism allows them to crush large amounts of waste at a faster pace than with just using their body weight. This device requires less physical exertion and allows them to achieve a heavier bag containing more bottles. Resulting in a better income per bag filled at the end of the day.
To view the process work behind this idea, design and construction please visit
my blog.
Top: Sketch of final design. Blue area
shows where the components detach.
Right: Illustration showing the three-step
process of using the Tshiliwano.
Top left: Final design – a tripod with
a detachable pole. This pole has been
designed to hold up to 600 kilograms.
Above: 100 kilogram weight built from
a recycled concrete bar.
*All work done by Kirsten Morgan
Brief: