Meet the sustainable waste bins

Invented by DTU students, they keep festivals and public events litter-free

Invented by DTU students, they keep festivals and public events litter-free

Back in 2011, while studying Design & Innovation at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Heida Nolsøe (from the Faroe Islands) and Marie Berggreen (from Denmark) had the idea of creating a cheap and environmentally sound recycling bin for large events like music festivals. The final product, called DropBucket, made its first appearance in Denmark’s biggest music festival, Roskilde, in 2013, where 400 pieces were placed, becoming almost instantly a smash hit. Since then, DropBucket has grown into a genuine business success and is now a fulltime job for its inventors, who are now also targeting the rest of the European market.

DropBucket is made of recycled cardboard and has a low center of gravity, making it stable in windy conditions. It comes with a plastic coating on either one or both sides so that it can withstand all kinds of weather and outdoor abuse. It is also available in various sizes/models (named Outdoor, Basic, Medium and Mini), with the largest one having a capacity of 114L (30gallons) and the smaller ones being ideal for restaurants with buffet bars, for example. In 2015, the product was awarded the renowned Red Dot Award: Best of the Best for its design.

The sustainable trash can has already been used in over 200 events in Denmark, as well as by municipalities, schools, and offices. In 2014, more than 5000 DropBuckets were put up in festivals and events across the country and this year 6000 are expected to be used in Roskilde alone. “People just love the product,” says co-founder Berggreen. “It’s not just a trash can, it’s a product that people like.”

DropBucket is easy to carry and install

DropBucket is available in different sizes, for different needs.

Source: Treehugger