Reinventing the Household Waste Bin

Developed within the Industrial Design course unit in partnership with Valorsul, this project proposed reinventing the household waste bin—an object traditionally associated solely with function and disposal, and often kept out of sight.

The challenge lay in transforming it into a design piece with aesthetic, emotional, and symbolic value—one capable of integrating into the living space like a piece of furniture while encouraging better recycling habits. The final design features a circular shape, a rotating outer structure that conceals the internal compartments, and a raised base, echoing the language of contemporary furniture. Frontal relief patterns, inspired by the concepts of cycles and movement, reinforce the visual connection to the theme of recycling. The product combines lacquered recycled aluminum, recycled HDPE plastic, and FSC-certified wood, ensuring sustainability, durability, and aesthetic quality.

The methodological process involved researching references, analyzing materials, sketching, 3D modeling, constructing small-scale physical models, and producing precise technical drawings in AutoCAD.