‘Recycling is getting out of hand’ idea competition seeks new recycling solutions for homes
The Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority is launching a new idea competition that is open to all, called ‘Recycling is getting out of hand’. The aim of the idea competition is to find modern, urban and compact recycling solutions for homes to facilitate sorting in everyday life. The competition will run from 26 November to 31 December 2020. Winning ideas will be rewarded with cash prizes or new recycling innovations. The winning solutions will be tested in homes and developed together with partner companies. The competition jury includes representatives from Kekkilä Garden, Laatikkokauppa, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Niimaar Oy, and Orthex Group. The idea competition is part of the EU-funded 6Aika project CircularHoodFood.
The ‘Recycling is getting out of hand’ competition seeks new ideas for sorting household waste in two series. The heavyweight series is aimed specifically at designers, while the lightweight series gathers ideas from residents interested in recycling in the form of a social media challenge.
Competition starting points – the most common obstacle to sorting is lack of space at home
HSY’s goal is to increase the recycling rate of household waste in the Helsinki metropolitan area and Kirkkonummi to 60% by 2025. The participation of residents plays an important role in this. According to a survey conducted in February 2020, the most common obstacle to sorting among residents in the Helsinki metropolitan area is that there is not enough space at home for different waste containers. However, 73% of respondents would like to sort their waste more actively than at present. HSY set out to find partners and fresh ideas to solve the problem.
– With the idea competition, we want to find a handy and beautiful solution that fits even in small spaces, bringing joy and ease to sorting! Sorting waste is important because it is the only way that the materials can be turned into raw materials for new products. This saves natural resources and the environment, says HSY Project Manager Roosa Halonen.
Multidisciplinary jury in search of a modern overall solution for sorting
The competition seeks an overall solution for sorting waste and wants you to stop looking under the sink. The proposed solutions are expected to be:
- aesthetic and timeless in design;
- functional, easy to use, and maintainable; and
- sustainable, made of environmentally friendly materials, and durable.
The competition solutions are evaluated by a multidisciplinary team of experts. The jury consists of commercial and non-commercial actors. The members of the jury are Kaisa Hyyti (Senior Lecturer, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences), Janne Kanervo (Portfolio Manager, Kekkilä Garden), Enni Karikoski (CEO, Niimaar Oy), Sari Kemppainen (Group Manager, HSY), Kirsi Pitkänen (CEO, Laatikkokauppa) and Alexander Rosenlew (CEO, Orthex Group).
Winning solutions to be tested in homes
The winning solutions will be tested in homes and developed together with partner companies. The competition’s heavyweight series is aimed specifically at designers, and the three best solutions will be rewarded with cash prizes: €2,000 for 1st place, €1,000 for 2nd place, €750 for 3rd place. The lightweight series gathers ideas from those interested in recycling in the form of a social media challenge. The winner has the opportunity to have one of the competition’s winning recycling solutions in their home or win a €90 grocery gift card.
Sorting household waste is an everyday act for circular economy, turning waste items into materials for new goods and products. For example, biowaste can be used to produce soil and renewable energy, while carton is reborn as toilet paper cores, among other things.
The idea competition is part of the CircularHoodFood project. 6Aika: CircularHoodFood Circular Economy in Urban Neighbourhoods – Low-Carbon Food, Urban Production and Biowaste Recycling project is part of the 6Aika strategy of Finland’s six largest cities and receives funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The project promotes the generation of a carbon-neutral urban environment and a sustainable food system, the reduction of the carbon footprint of food, and is accelerating the creation of related new business, cooperation and solutions. The project will run until the end of 2021.
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