Three finalists chosen for NYC BetterBin competition

Three finalists have been selected in the New York City BetterBin competition, which charged designers with the task of reimagining the city's 23,000 litter baskets linng the streets.

The competition is a joint venture of The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) and Van Alen Institute, New York City, in collaboration with the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), Herndon, Virginia, and the American Institute of Architects New York. The most widespread design of the city’s current trash receptacles, the green wire-mesh basket, has remained largely unchanged since the 1930s. The competition sought a redesign to better address the current and future waste needs of the city, along with one that improves the quality of life and sanitation for residents and workers who service the bins.

The three finalists were chosen from 200 submissions from six different continents. According to the website, the three finalists are:

• Group Project, a New York-based interdisciplinary design team that aims to improve the everyday experiences of urban life. The team says its proposal utilizes modularity, complementary materials and an NYC-inspired aesthetic to achieve a solution that significantly improves the servicing experience, keeps the city’s streets clean and “symbolizes a new future for the New York City Department of Sanitation.”
• The Berlin-based IONDESIGN GmbH, which says its design approach is aimed at longevity and continuous improvement of ergonomic, technical, economic, cultural and aesthetic functions. This year marks the company’s 25^th anniversary.
• Smart Design, a New-York based strategic design company founded in 1980. The company has worked with the city before designing its iconic taxi cab, as well as other major clients, such as Ford and PepsiCo.

The three finalists will receive $40,000 to produce 12 prototypes each, which will be tested in New York City neighborhoods in the summer of 2019. After the testing period, the judging panel will select a first-place winner. The winner will be eligible to contract for further design development to ensure the ability to mass produce the basket at a reasonable cost and refine technical issues through an agreement with the city.

BetterBin is the first in Product Placed, a new series of design competitions where Van Alen Institute helps cities use design to create or improve civic products that affect urban life.