THIS RECYCLING BIN LOOKS LIKE A BATTERY 🔋
I spotted this fantastic example of circularity and recycling - a battery recycling point from Panasonic, set up as part of a joint project (with CP ALL, 7-Eleven, and other partners).
It’s designed specifically for AA, AAA, C and D batteries, but instead of a generic bin, it actually looks like one. Simple, but you instantly know what it’s for without thinking. And it’s right outside a 7-Eleven where the batteries are sold.
What’s also interesting is what it doesn’t accept. Unfortunately, you can’t just chuck power banks or button batteries in there! Panasonic seems keen to collect only the main type of consumer batteries, which is fair enough.
In my last posts, I looked at an organization that recycles bottle caps and a company that makes label-less bottles. This battery bin feels like another layer, designing the interaction to be as frictionless as possible.
The circularity of collecting used batteries right outside where they are sold means that people understand instinctively what to do.
This got me thinking: how much of circularity is actually solved at this level? Making the right action obvious, and the wrong one harder?
