Documentation

Day One

This was the day we were introduced to the assignment by our teacher. Mr. Scharon spoke to us about the negative impacts humans have on the environment. We empathised and connected with the global problem of pollution and how it affects us.

The assignment is to create a prototype that would help solve an environmental problem. As a group we were interested in the issue of plastic disposal that we face on a daily basis in Jordan. We searched further into this issue and the complications it has on the local environment and community.

Day Two

Based on the statistics and background information we gathered, we brainstormed solutions. One way we found interesting was what is so called a "zero waste" lifestyle, where you don't use anything throughout your life that would generate waste. Another, was to reduce the amount of plastic water bottles used amongst the school community, by creating our own water bottle using an alternative material.

Planning, brainstorming, testing and receiving feedback from peers helped us come up with our final decision....

Day Three to Seven

We decided to create and build a recycling bin only for plastic water bottles. So we began to ideate and enquire. We each brought in a collection of used plastic water bottles, which we used to create a bin... So we experimented:

Day Eight

After placing our prototype in different areas around the school; targeting traffic areas, results were not so successful. People had used our plastic water bottle recycling bin as a general-plastic waste bin. We found plastic wrappers, containers and other plastic waste materials including a few plastic bottles. Although we did not collect exactly what we intended to, people were making the effort to make use of our prototype. We used the results to change and develop our prototype...

Day Nine

We edited our initial aim to recycle plastic water bottles to be less specific, which is to collect plastic waste in general. We further developed our prototype as we planned to last class.

Each member of our group gathered an equal amount of materials needed; large plastic water bottles and tools that would help us build the prototype.

Day Ten to Thirteen

In days nine through thirteen, we focused on building our second prototype. The method went as following:

Cut 12 large plastic water bottles equally in half, using a box cutter or a pair of scissors. Place a cutting board under the bottles to complete this step, as not to damage the surface underneath.
Fill each bottom half of the cut bottles with about a cup and a half of sand. We collected sand from a local park in Amman. The intention of this is to make the base heavy, sturdy and strong.
Use a glue gun to put glue on the rim of the opening of the cut bottles. For each one, place a large, empty, plastic water bottle inside it, upside-down. Only the top part of the bottle should fit through the opening. Do this for the rest of the bottles until you have 12 done.
For the remaining 12 untouched water bottles, use a box cutter or a pair of scissors to cut off the very bottom of each bottle.
Stick each bottle on top of each upside-down one, using the same glue gun. After completion of this step, you must have 12 identical plastic water bottle "towers".
For a base, we used a circle shaped cardboard, which we cut out of one of the recycled boards we found in class.
Place the "towers" in a circle on the cardboard and make sure to glue them on using the glue gun. (This is one of our disadvantages and mistakes through this procedure, as we did not properly stick the bottles to the base.)
Once everything is in place, connect the "towers" together using tape.
We printed out two "only plastic" signs as well as two QR codes that leads to this site, and stuck them to the bin.
Finally, put a black garbage bag inside the bin.

QR Code for our website

Day Fourteen to Sixteen

Once our prototype was finalised and looked identical to the way we first visualised it, we placed it in the most traffic area in the school. The school cafeteria is where most people go and generate a lot of waste from their food wrappers, containers, etc.. We placed it in between the two garbage bins so it was easy to notice and accessible.

For a few lessons we monitored our bin and recorded the amount of plastic waste we collected. According to the results, it was very effective and people, especially the younger students, made good use of it and distinguished our trash can to the other general waste bins beside it.

Day Seventeen to Eighteen

To further investigate the effectiveness of our plastic recycling bin on the ACS community, we moved it to the second most traffic place in the school; the cafeteria in the LC. We kept the bin there for the same amount of days that we left it in the cafeteria downstairs. Every lesson we would monitor it and how much everyone made use of it. According to our data, people disposed their plastic waste in the bin but not as much as they did in the cafeteria downstairs. We reflected as a group and came to a conclusion that this was partly due to the traffic rates in each area.

At the end of the eighteenth day, we asked for people's feedback about their opinion of our recycling bin. Some people would emphasise without even being asked. Results were all positive and helpful.

Day Nineteen

By this stage, we have finalised our project. With our collected data, finished prototype and documentation, we finalised our online site. We correlated as a group, giving feedback to each other and reviewing our progress.

Day Twenty

This is the end of our journey; where we submit and present all the work we've completed. We all carry our gained skills and knowledge in our everyday lives; being more aware of the issue and finding alternatives to solve environmental issues.

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