ThinkScream Smart Trash

0
22

Above: “The smart trash bin from ThinkScream” (Kavilanz).


Above: “ThinkScream’s smart trash can rewards users with 15 minutes of free Wi-Fi for throwing things away” (Kavilanz).

It feels a bit dystopian when people can’t be encouraged to throw their trash away simply because it’s better for the environment, and instead have to be incentivized with internet access. Because of this I can see why people have misunderstood it as a marketing gimmick. I’m not sure I agree that the trashcan is well designed for its context either. It seems to be placed in high traffic public spaces, areas that people don’t want to stop and stand in other people’s way in order to stay in range of the wifi. Also, for the amount of litter the creators are describing, this seems like a relatively small trash can. What happens when it overflows? How often are the trash cans emptied?

I think the trash cans are a fitting solution for the original context they were designed for, which is music festivals. The conditions making the trash cans work being poor service, people who need wifi, and lots and lots of trash. State parks are another context that meets these conditions. Fishing areas tend to produce a lot of trash, and because it’s a stationary, waiting activity, I imagine people naturally gravitate towards being on their phones. Maybe the trash cans are set near trail heads so in order to see the trail maps, people have to use the trash can. Perhaps this would prevent people littering on the trails since they wouldn’t be carrying trash with them in the first place.