Designed for Recycling and Reuse

“The best way to deal with our garbage, is to reduce it. Next best reuse it. The it comes recycle compost, incinerate and, at last resort landfill” (Loukin, 1997).

The main focus in the next examples is the design in order to recycle and reuse. “The primary goal of design for recycling (DFR) is the selection of design attributes that will allow a products embodied bulk materials to be disaggregated and recycled in a cost-effective manner at the product end-of-life (EOL) stage.” (Masanet & Horvarth, 2007).

The definition of recycling is according to Loukin (1997) “taking a product apart of into its component parts, grinding or melting those pieces and remaking them into new materials of comparable or lesser value” (Loukin, 1997).

EXAMPLE 1According to Loukin (1997) Dauphin, a company based on Germany, designed its Lyric chair from the next components:

1. Backrest innershell is composed a 100% percent-recycled yogurt containers.2. Chair parts and pieces were decreased by 30 percent to lessen the eventual

disposal impact. 3. Glueless upholstery manufacturing methods such as cushion fastened to seat

with molded clips.4. All plastic parts are coded.

Figure 1. Dauphin, Lyric. Recyclable chair. Retrieved from Loukin (1997)

EXAMPLE 2:

Another example of designed for recycling or reuse at EOL, is the Hag chair, designed in Norway. This chairs mains features are:

1. Materials include various types of plastic, steel and aluminum, all marked with recycling symbols.

2. Glues are water-bases.3. Upholstery foam uses no CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbon).4. No PVC parts are used.

Fig. 2 Hag chair, designed for recycling. Retrieved from Loukin (1997)

Fig. 3 Scheme of a chair designed for recycling. Retrieved from Loukin (1997)

Reference:

Loukin, A. (1997). Recycling. Interior Design, 68(6), 82-82-86. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/234950321?accountid=11643

Masanet, E. E., & Horvath, A. A. (2007). Assessing the benefits of design for recycling for plastics in electronics: A case study of computer enclosures. Materials and Design, 28(6), 1801-1811. doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2006.04.022