SEOUL DESIGN AWARD

 

Honorable Mention 9.

트래쉬 버스터즈(Trash Busters)

 

Group Name: Trash Busters

City: Seoul, Republic of Korea

Representative Designer: Anna Choi

Website: trashbusters.kr

 

[Project Story]

It's not a big deal!

 

Trash Busters is also known as TB. We aim to solve the waste problem by replacing disposables with reusables. Festivals always leave garbage behind. Before COVID-19, about 15,000 festivals were held annually in Korea.  dinnerware used at every festival is disposable. Every one of us uses an average of 3.5 plastic items. We use disposables for convenience, but they become garbage at the end of the festival. About 200 million disposables are thrown away every year. This is a very serious problem. CEO Jaewon Kwak of TB worked as a festival planner in the past.  He realized that disposables are serious after discovering the amount of waste generated from a festival he planned. He got together with branding designer Anna Choi and installation artist Kwak Dongryeol to create a solution to solve the problem.

 

Let me introduce you to our project. In the end, reuse became the basis of the solution as the problem was using items just once and throwing them away. So, we came up with a reusable dinnerware rental system to replace disposables. The process for this solution is very simple. Rent, use, collect, clean and rent again. We repeat this process.  The existing capitalist business process is in the form of a linear economy where the disposal comes at the last stage. However, the Trash Busters process has a cyclical structure that does not generate waste in the city. If the reusable dinnerware is damaged or unable for further use from many uses, it is reprocessed into raw materials and remade into a new product.

 

Trash Busters' branding pays homage to one of the biggest hits of all time in the 1980s, the Ghost Busters. The difference is that Trash Busters catches trash instead of ghosts. We stressed pleasantness and friendliness by breaking away from the traditional environmental. That's why our Trash Busters color is orange, not green. Orange reusable dinnerware raise appetite, easy to find outdoors, and light. It can also hold hot food and beverages and, best of all, can be reused. Our product has five advantages. Polypropylene does not elute BPA and is heat resistant. In other words, it is harmless to the human body and can be used at high temperatures. It is recyclable and not easily contaminated. It is also very aesthetically sensible and can come in various sizes.

 

Let's talk about sustainable solutions. The Trash Busters solution was used in a music festival held in Seoul. Reusable cups and plates were rented out to over 3,000 festival participants. In the same festival, 300 10-liter garbage bags came out in the past years. In 2019, however, only eight of the same size garbage bags came out thanks to Trash Busters' solution.   We saw the effect of reducing waste by as much as 98%. Participants gave much feedback that they could enjoy the festival more comfortably because they did not have to throw out garbage.

 

Now, the project results. Our project scope expanded based on our belief in sustainability. With environmental problems emerging during the COVID-19 pandemic, many conglomerates adopted our solutions to solve urban environmental problems. So, we can say that Trash Busters is playing a leading role in environmental protection activities in the local community. Currently, companies are replacing disposable cups used in office cafes and restrooms with our products. Our service has been introduced to the largest movie theater franchise in Korea. We also provide services to government offices.

 

The number reduced by using reusable items instead of disposables is called the 'busting score.' Users accumulate points by pressing the button as many times as the number of times they used reusables. The score was around 1 million as of December 2021. Trash Busters is proving that it is possible to change systems without changing people's behavior. Trash Busters is also creating a culture. In 2021, we launched sustainable content and products in collaboration with various companies and brands. We carried out consumer experience and field campaigns to make it easy and enjoyable for people to reuse the product. We also promoted 'Busting' in partnership with Changbi Publishing Company. The participants said that busting had become a habit and that it was a good experience. Next is about our future plans.

 

Our future plans are vast and varied. First, we plan to expand our solution to delivery joints, regular cafes, funeral homes, and sports stadiums. We hope our solution will be utilized not only in Seoul and the metropolitan area but also throughout Korea. Urban environmental issues are serious, but they are nothing with Trash Busters. Thank you for listening.

 

 

[Project Presentation Video]