Client | Strategic Design
Recycle Beirut
Designing a future pay-per-ton service to kickstart the circular economy.
the trash crisis of Lebanon as a result of abandoned incinerators and political disagreement between local & EU politicians.
Who is our client Recycle Beirut?
Recycle Beirut is a recycling company that collects recyclable trash from people’s homes, sorts it at its facility for a monthly fee. The fee insures that they employ refugees to sort the waste to mitigate the refugee crisis and empower women. The mitigate 8 tons of trash from going to sea and landfill.
Their mission
The mission is to reach zero waste by composting, recycling and reusing.
What is the problem we are trying to solve?
The Green Party of the EU Parliament has set a policy that enables them to fund incinerators to combat the trash crisis. However, because of improper management, lack of on the ground research and visibility, these recycling plants are left unused
Desk Research
Currently Lebanon is facing many threats:
the influx of refugees,
an economic decline,
a trash crisis,
and a long battle with corruption.
Instead of supporting private businesses to recycle more leading to a cleaner environment and an employment of refugees, the EU keeps pumping aid money into factories that are are not being used. The reason for this is that this is financially good for the people to take cuts of the money for themselves, but also that the EU does not have visibility on what is happening in Lebanon. Their metrics of success are opening power plants but they do not have representatives monitory the situation here.
The design process
In this project I go to the field and observe, interview, and compile the working situations, the business model, the pains, the gains and the needs of people working in this industry. With evidence on the matter, I compile a system that would yield better results for everyone and become business viable.
Service Design & Strategy
My design approach is to draft a service of monitoring between
The mission
The mission is to reach zero waste by composting, recycling and reusing.
Contextual Research
I published the research and strategy in this high level document.
The Waste, Economy, Refugee Crisis
EU Processes
Research on the recycling communities
User Insights
Journey Map of Waste Collection
The first goal is to formalize these small businesses.
Service Ecosystem: An ecosystem driven by transparency and accountability.
The relationship between the recycling community and the European Union requires a new level of cooperation that activates stakeholders in ways that incentivize them.
Concept: A clear service between the recycling community and the EU Green Party
FOR EU Parliament members
The EU Parliament would be incentivized to send money directly to the recycling communities once they can effectively measure and pay for the fleet, per ton of waste, and have visbility over the costs of maintenance, workers.
