The Landfill Bin Project

Too many recyclables go to the landfill, causing enormous harm to the environment. Thankfully, Toronto has a recycling program in place so we can alleviate this problem rather simply ― by putting recyclables into the right bin.

Street wastebins play a central role in the problem. It's here we determine the destiny of millions of recyclables; to return to the commodity cycle or to sit in a landfill forever. The line between these two fates is a thin, ten-inch band of plastic, and recyclables often end up on the wrong side. Here is our last chance to convince Pedestrians to put their plastic, paper and metal into the right place.

Yet Toronto's waste bins aren't making the most of this opportunity. The bins aren't designed to actively encourage recycling; they neutrally present two options: 'Litter' or 'Recycling'. In fact, the term 'Litter' and the image on the flap might even encourage recycling attrition because they are euphemisms. Representing the better choice as better and the harmful choice as harmful is one way to improve Toronto's recycling rates. Hence, the "Landfill" sticker.

The sticker encourages recycling by making the reality behind the 'Litter' option salient and emotionally moving. Specifically, only now does the renamed receptacle linguistically refer to where misplaced recyclables will end up and provides an image to represent this final destination. Word and image, together, encourage Pedestrians to pause at the waste bin and think about where their waste will end up. The sticker then emotionally moves the Pedestrian to make the better choice. Another way to understand the sticker's purpose is it helps close the experiential (or phenomenal) gap between the Pedestrian's actions and their effects.

I hope the Landfill Bin Project will affect Torontonians in the decisive moment when they choose where to put their recyclable, ultimately diverting tons of waste from going to landfill. A further hope is that the emotional motivation to recycle will carry over to Torontonians' recycling habits at home and all other waste bins. With the mindfulness and awareness the sticker promotes, I also hope Torontonians will think twice before buying items that must be landfilled.

The Landfill Bin Project is a practical answer to a species of philosophical problems called "collective impact problems" or "tragedy of the commons".  Such a problem arises when a number of people act in a way that adds up to cause harm, but it seems no individual has reason to act otherwise because their action, by itself, seems to make no difference whether they do it or not.  People often justify landfilling recyclables on this premise; 'Whether I put one plastic bottle in the garbage isn't going to change the world'. The 'Landfill' sticker confronts Pedestrians with a message that encourages them to put such reasoning aside.

Our planet's health is rapidly declining. We must work as quickly as possible to become greener. Instead of waiting for the slow, post-amalgamated Toronto bureaucracy to redesign the Litter Bins, we've created a temporary fix; a sticker that Torontonians have already been eager to purchase and use to take ownership of and redirect their city's future. The CBC and Torontoist picked up on this activity.

And don't forget: reduce, reuse, (repair), up-cycle, down-cycle, landfill.