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About Plant Chow
PlantChow is a subscription composting service designed specifically for Boston residents of apartments and condominiums.
Easily available at your fingertips, subscribers can request food waste pick-up when needed and receive surprise kitchen-window plants in return.
PlantChow aims to divert landfill waste and reduce methane production in landfills.
Research
We began our research with the simple desire to improve trash disposal systems in Boston. Through participant observation, interviews, and precedent research
Observation
We did our first observation at Boston Common, and we observed all the trash bins there and marked them on the map below.
A crucial observation was that people placed garbage in random places, demonstrating a level of desire to put their trash somewhere.
Working off these points, we decided to focus on Residential Areas as this is where residents dispose of trash most regularly and frequently.
Research Question
What are the attitudes of young adults living in Boston regarding trash management, and how do they influence their habits?
Interview
Interview Questions
Neighborhood
Discussing community, usual activities, and public cleanliness.
Personal Attitudes
Discussing personal beliefs, opinions, and habits regarding waste disposal in their area.
Background and Education
Self reflection of particpant’s knowledge and where/how they acquire knowledge about waste management.
Daphne
23 y/o
MS Computer Science
Fenway
I feel very guilty of throwing trash outside on the street, but when I walk to the trash can, I don’t know if my trash is sorted and handled correctly.
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Xuehan
27 y/o
MArch in Architecture
Malden
I carry two old laptops with me, and I don't know how to deal with them. I think I should Google how to do that, but I don’t have time.
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Aarti
24 y/o
PhD in psychology
Mission Hill
I was already thinking about my consumer habits because I had a much smaller budget at the time.
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From
Interviews
Participants demonstrated a high level of self-awareness in their own waste habits and reported feelings of responsibility and guilt.
Demonstrated a level of dissatisfaction with trash disposal, mainly feelings of frustration and confusion.
Demonstrated feelings of distrust in the public trash system and desire for more transparency of inner-workings.
Participants believed additional incentives could encourage others to handle waste more carefully – ex. financial incentives, convenience.
A subscription-style composting service.
Design Concept
Goal
Provide convenient compost services to those who do not have access through their apartment amenities.
Benefits
Reduces methane produced in landfills by organic matter.
Reduces need for chemical fertilizers.
Restores nutrient in depleted soils.
Provides carbon sequestration.
Communication Platform
To make our design more convenient and accessible, we chose to provide mobile access to weight tracking and pick-up notifications.
Pick-Up System, User End
One of the largest challenges for apartment dwellers looking to compost is space. To address this, we differentiated between smaller, brownstone type buildings, and larger managed complexes.
Pick-Up System, Business End
We chose to give each bine a barcode for each user, allowing for waste tracking and notifications.
Subscription Produce Blind-Box
Encourage people to use the service and divert food waste from disposal by providing tangible products of their efforts.
Apartments renters do not have yard space, we proposed that their compost is returned to them in the form of produce grown with their compost waste. These surprise boxes would be delivered monthly and contain surprise produce and fun facts, recipes, restocks of compost liners.
Prototype
We began our user testing process with 3D model renderings of our physical products, the compost bin and pick-up locker. We detailed the size (3 gallon bins, 6 ft. by 5 ft. lockers) and materials (plastic and metal).
To evaluate the success and feasibility of our design, we prototyped our service by simulating implementation in two real-life buildings in Boston. Then, we interviewed tenants of those buildings and had them review the materials using think-aloud protocol.
Application
Make an appointment
Choose pick-up day
Change the date
Tracking the pick-up date
Tracking the pick-up status
Tracking the chow box
My account
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