Loop Approach

Food Composter

Housewares related project

Choose a specific area of focus within the housewares product category, and develop a design solution for that area.

Date:

Fall 2024

Duration:

2 Months

Tools:

Currently homeowners lack a practical way to repurpose food indoors. Due to high costs, space constraints, smells, and lack of user friendly systems. The food waste machine market size has grown on avg 7% annually and is projected to hit 100 billion by 2030.

Idea Pages

Building on key insights from my research, I began generating a variety of ideas through group brainstorming and individual ideation. I selected five concepts to refine and moved forward with two for further development.

Concept 1

A food recycler designed to sit on a counter top. Food scraps can be easily dropped in after a meal and transformed into a fine powder, ideal for use in gardens or lawns. Its shape is intentionally designed to blend seamlessly into the environment, maintaining a non-intrusive presence.

Concept 2

A planter with a built-in compost system. Food scraps are placed in a dedicated compartment, allowing plants to draw nutrients directly from the compost. It includes all standard indoor garden features.

Rough Models

Concept 1 was chosen because it caters to a broader audience. While Concept 2 addresses the user needs identified during research, Concept 1’s versatility ensures it meets the requirements of a wider range of users and use cases.

Proof of Concept

To better understand the process and to validate my research, I tested it myself. Over six weeks, I demonstrated that Loop’s method was viable.

Expired bananas, apples, strawberry, bread, and used coffee grounds were dried to remove moisture

The food was then blended into a powder

The powder was mixed with different ratios of dirt from 1 part dirt 1 part powder to 1 part dirt 5 parts powder

The basil seeds started to sprout and grow seeds after 2 weeks

After 5 weeks only the 3 highest food powder concentration mixtures produced basil