Waste Age: What can design do?

'Waste means any substance or object which the holder discards or intends or is required to discard...'

In case you missed it: Waste Age exhibition in The Design Museum was a informative and innovative showcase about the past and future of waste. 

It both shone a light on the past, the problem as well as the future of waste and what designers are doing about it. And it ended with an optimistic and inspirational view on what is being done, what is possible as well as ideas being developed and what the future may hold for recycling and transforming waste into useful ideas.

The past

The exhibition starts off by outlining the history of plastics and waste with facts that will capture you. For example, did you know that in 1950 the world produced about 2 million tonnes of plastic each year and today it is 368 million tonnes? There has been more plastic produced in the last decade than there has ever been before, combined. 

Another interesting fact is that low income households only account for 5% of waste generated in the world and by far the largest plastic waste generator by sector (in 2015) was packaging (accounting for 141 million tonnes) not even very closely followed by textiles (42 million tonnes). 

The exhibition also shed light on the  'built to break' era we now live in and provides some real life, interesting examples around for example lightbulbs and kettles. 

Did you know that lightbulbs originally were designed to last for up to 2,500 hours? But then in 1924 the Phoebus Cartel ruled that they should last 1000 hours, forcing consumers to buy more replacements as this would generate more revenue. The cartel in fact fined manufacturers if the bulbs lasted too long. The cartel, which consisted of major international manufacturers, is often credited with the introduction of the strategy known as 'planned obsolescence'. 

In fact, there is still to this day a lightbulb in the Livermore fire department, the oldest known working lightbuld according to the Guinness book of world records. It was first installed in 1901 and has been glowing continuously ever since, only being turned off a handful of times. It goes to show that if designed well, products can last more than a lifetime.

Lightbulbs were originally designed to last for up to 2,500 hours. Then in 1924 the Phoebus Cartel ruled that they should last a maximum of 1000 hours. 

Planned obsolesce, even to this day still occurs on a vast scale with the majority of consumer items from mobile phones and laptops to shoes and cooking equipment. They could be designed and manufactured to last longer, creating less waste, but with the option being to create them more cheaply and to get people to dispose and buy new every so often, it's a compelling option for manufacturers and consumers alike.

Innovation and the future

The exhibition was not all doom and gloom however, the second part of it focuses on the future and innovation. Innovation results from the need to find a solution on the large scale waste problem we are facing. 

Highlights included:

This 3D printed rocking chair, made from old fridges. 

Materialism by DRIFT. An ongoing research project that takes every day items and investigates what materials they are made of by categorising them into composed arrangements. Above is a NOKIA 3210: 

This decorative veneer, used for interiors and furniture is made from husks of endangered heirloom corn from Mexico. The designer works with indigenous communities to provide employment as well as supporting local biodiversity. 

BAUX Acoustic pulp is made from 100 percent bio-based and biodegradable material, it can be used as interior acoustic wall panelling. 

The Sling Lounge Chair by TAKT is made from sustainably sourced materials and is specifically designed for disassembly. It is made from minimal components that can be easily replaced. It has also been designed for easy transportation to further reduce its carbon footprint.

Calcareous Arabesque is a 3D printed architectural wall panel made from sugar waste, it can be used for interior wall panelling which offers thermal and acoustic properties.

Side table, Collection 10 lightweight division, which is made from Nuatan, a plant based material that behaves and looks like plastic. It can be used for injection moulding, 3D printing, milling as well as many other standard industrial processes.

Sea chair, 2011, Studio SWINE is made entirely from plastics recovered from the ocean.

Make sure you check the Design Museum website for any interesting upcoming exhibitions and shows. 

Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on our social media handles to be kept in the loop about events like this one.