The effects of compost bin design on design preference, waste collection performance, and waste segregation behaviors for public participation.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) composting is one of the most effective strategies for MSW management but detrimental litter such as plastic and glass debris must be discarded elsewhere. Well-segregated wastes are necessary in this context. A compost bin is a waste collection tool for source separation. To date, the deployment of compost bins for source separation has received scant investigation. This study investigated the effects of compost bin design in terms of user design preferences, waste collection and sorting execution, and segregation behavior. The study comprised a survey and an on-site experiment. Design preferences of nine designed compost bins were evaluated by surveying 400 respondents using the pairwise comparison method. It was revealed that design preference was determined by bin shape and slot position. On-site experiments were conducted to establish collection rate, contamination rate, capture rate, and effective capture rate under different conditions. Under the experimental conditions, better segregation rates were observed in comparison with the control condition. The contamination rate was reduced by 55.9%. The capture rate and the effective capture rate were increased by 8.90%, and 53.4%, respectively. The significant effects of design preferences, physical designs, visual prompts, and past behavior were identified via statistical methods. Source-separated waste collection can be improved through preferred compost bin adoption, enhanced design, appropriate visual prompts, and experience in waste segregation. Therefore, the findings of this study will help to generate effective source-separated collection and allow compost bins to be placed in public areas for integrated and sustainable waste management.

The effects of color preference and noticeability of trash bins on waste collection performance and waste-sorting behaviors.

The improvement of waste separation is of great interest in mitigating problems related to municipal solid waste (MSW) management. Trash bins are commonly used for waste separation at source. Thus, appropriate trash bin designs are promising to improve waste collection and separation performance. This study investigated the effect of trash bin design on waste collection and waste-sorting behaviors in Thailand, focusing on color preference, setting location, and perceived ease in finding a trash bin (noticeability). Trash bins to separately collect compostable waste, recyclable waste, and PET bottles were tested. Perceived preferences for colors and noticeability were evaluated using pairwise comparison by survey questionnaires with a sample size of 889 respondents. Waste collection experiments were conducted to reveal waste collection, capture, contamination, and effective capture rates in three locations for 15 weeks. The results were analyzed via statistical methods. They suggested that trash bins with the least preferred colors had the highest waste separation efficiencies. On the other hand, color preference towards trash bins had no significant impact on waste collection. In addition, lower color preference contributed to lower noticeability of trash bins. The effective capture rate had a significantly negative correlation with noticeability. Highlighting the location of less noticeable trash bins might have helped participants practice correct waste disposal. In conclusion, location, unit color, and noticeability of trash bins can affect waste collection and separation performance. Increasing human awareness through appropriate design and setting of trash bins might enable more efficient collection of segregated wastes.