Hole Box
Furniture unit for separate collection and compact storage of recyclables at home and in the office
How does it work?
This is a box made of plywood, MDF or chipboard with internal compartments of various shapes, into which recyclables are put through external holes. Each type of recyclable material has its own hole. For convenience, plastic bags are inserted into some compartments, the holes are marked with explanatory stickers. Hole Box can be produced in different modifications and sizes. It can be mobile (on wheels), be an armchair, sofa or pouf (with a soft top, as in the photo), a table, a chest of drawers and even a wardrobe. Pre-washed and dried recyclables are reduced in volume and placed into the Hole Box. It is located in the kitchen of the house or in the coffee area of the office, shopping centers, educational or social institutions. As they accumulate from 2 to 4 weeks, recyclables are transferred to bags and handed over to Recycling collection point.
Why is it needed?
Hole Box helps to organize separate collection and convenient storage of recyclables in the interior It saves space. Three compacting (volume reduction) principles are used: fold (ex. paper, carton), compress (ex. soft packaging, foil), stack (ex. hard packaging) It saves time. Hole Box is always at hand. Due to design recyclables are placed inside "with one hand in one movement" Holbox is all-in-one recyclables storage. Unlike classic solutions for 4 compartments (glass/paper/metal/organic), it allows you to separate and compactly store more fractions of recyclables: soft plastic packaging (HDPE/LDPE/PP), hard plastic packaging (PP/PS), tetra pak, batteries, foil, caps, etc. The use of Hole Box forms responsible and ecological behavior in adults and children. As our two-year experiment shows, children playfully learn to read packaging, look for logos, identify recyclables, make decisions, find right hole, perform compacting and storage. It's a new interesting game!
How does it improve life?
Hole Box can make the environment cleaner. Only pre-separated materials can be properly recycled into a new product, otherwise they become garbage. It makes living more convenient due to versatility, mobility, saving space and time. Hole Box can make people's lives more conscious, and ecology measurable and tangible due to new environmental habits. It allows you to integrate environmental principles into people's everyday actions. It forms and supports ecological thinking. People do not just throw away recyclables, but understand its content and structure, path and potential benefits. Over time it leads to conscious consumption. Further development of Hole Box design will allow to create entire collections of ecological furniture. A DIY concept with free drawings for everyone is also planned. Perhaps the development of the project will lead to the emergence of new space design standards, new methods of environmental education and the early establishment of a global circular economy.