The process can be found below.
BioCyclr: Food Scrap Bin
Research focus: circular materials, local recycling systems, sustainable manufacturing
BioCyclr is a freezer-based food scrap bin designed to support odor-free household composting through a localized, circular production system.
The product was developed and manufactured using solar-powered microfactories, where post-consumer plastic is shredded, cleaned, and rotationally molded on-site, eliminating material waste and reducing environmental impact.
As part of the design team, I contributed to concept development, material exploration, and user testing, supporting the refinement of the product’s form and its integration within a closed-loop manufacturing system.
This project explores how distributed production and material reuse can reshape everyday products into more sustainable and locally responsive systems.
Material: Made entirely with locally sourced recycled plastic.
Manufacturing Process: The solar panels at the top collect energy, feeding it into the batteries on one outside wall. The energy is stored there and fed into the facility, where the shredder turns used plastic products into plastic flakes. From here, they go into the washer, which rinses the flakes. A rotational molding machine spins the clean flakes, coating a product mold with liquid plastic.
Featured on Kickstarter, INHABITAT, Happily, Core77, and NBC New York
