• Do It Yourself (DIY) Websites: Pintrest, Various Articles online, DIY Reuse site

• Republic Services: Website about the Indy collection service

• Ray’s Recycling: List what items are and are not recyclable

• Green Wave Computer Recycling: Free electronics recycling drop-off

• Seri Sustainable Electronics: Find an R2 Certified Electronics Recycler

• Indiana Recycling Coalition: EcoPoint Recycling Search

DIY Websites
The majority of these websites are hard to navigate, simply providing a collection of different projects with little or no structure and no search function. Additionally, many “upcycling” projects often require buying new things, not reusing old materials.
 

Republic Services
Republic Services recently redesigned their website and it is a much better resource than it was before. Now, users can pretty easily find what materials are recyclable, and there is even an item search function! Unfortunately, the number of items that have information stored is quite limited and there is no indication of what to do if the item you are looking for doesn’t show up.

Ray’s Recycling
Ray’s recycling has an easy to follow graphic about the materials that can and cannot be recycled. However, the graphic is limited as users are left with no idea what to do with items that are not listed. There is currently no search function, which would allow users to find items more quickly. Additionally, the visual design and site navigation for Ray's website is confusing and distracting.

Recycling Drop-Off Locations
Local recycling drop-off locations can be quite difficult to find, as there is no central hub of information about them. Some search applications, such as the R2 Certified Electronics Search, are very useful but limited in the scope of what items they accept. The larger search applications, such as the Recycling Coalition search engine don’t seem up-to-date and the information is difficult to verify.

While the benefits of recycling are well established, it was important to collect evidence that this solution will in fact have a positive impact in the problem space. To do this, responses from 20 people in the Indianapolis area were collected in an online survey. 15 of the participants were female, and 5 male, all ages 18-34 years old. This survey is further detailed in Appendix A.

As instructed by the course professors, the criteria for a good design solution include that it is relevant, appropriate and innovative.  Below, I have detailed my justification for why my solution will meet these criteria.

Relevant: Does anyone care?

As noted in the survey, the majority of the target audience recycles, reuses some disposable items, and is interested in DIY reuse projects. This means there are people who would use a consolidated resource that has information on all of these topics. The popularity of "DIY Craft" boards on Pinterst is also a good indication that there is interest in this type of information.

Appropriate: Does it solve the problem?

Though many people are interested in things like DIY projects and would like to reduce their waste, the biggest obstacle is that they do not know how to do so. This consolidated resource will allow users to find reliable information on a variety of recycling topics without complicated navigation or spending too much time and effort to find a single piece of information. By addressing concerns brought up by participants in research methods, this solution will specifically meet the needs of the target audience.

Innovative: Is this a new and novel solution?

As evidenced in the section on the "Limitations of Current Solutions" there is currently no resource that addresses the entirety of this problem. Not only does each of these only address one piece of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle," the majority are hard to navigate and not at all user friendly. The combination of the three different aspects in this resource will allow it to be a unique solution.