As a project a broad issue of food waste in the urban household was identified. An Australian report revealed, that in 2012 alone it was estimated that more than three million tonnes or $5.2 billion worth of wasted green or non green foods. To put this astronomical figure into perspective, in 2012 the global population had just reached 7 billion. As trends of living were analysed, more and more people are seeing themselves involved with busier lifestyles and are moving into city high rises essentially eliminating the possibility of owning a compost bin or something similar. The design objectives outline were :
(1) an appliance that connects with a community food waste system making composting a viable and more efficient process for the middle-income earner.
(2) development of a method for re-purposing non-compostable material.
As a method of decreasing the amount of food waste the dECOmposer was developed which takes any sort of food waste and turns it into a nutrient rich pellet which can be used to fertilise whilst a bio-gas is also produced which can be used as a method of powering stoves, hot water systems etc.
Pictured above is a brief overview of how the dECOmposer works
Component Breakdown
each component has a specific use.
1. an LED light indicates when the dECOmposer is in use.
2. a blending cylinder 'pulverises' any food scraps added into the device to increase the surface area of the biodegradable material and therefore speed up decomposition.
3. The device lid will secure an air tight fit between components to allow for anaerobic decomposition. A secondary use of anaerobic decomposition means that a bio-gas is produced which is captured which can be stored and used for cooking at a later date.
4. in order to speed up the decomposition process, the blended food waste mixture will be 'agitated' to further increase the rate of the decomposition reaction.
5. As the decomposed food begins to clump together and is pushed through the holes in the plate much like a cheese grater. the food scraps are pushed into the form of a pellet (aesthetically similar to dog food).
6. the pellet food waste falls into this directing chute which directs the pellets into the final area of the device.
7. the final area of the device houses all the processed food waste which has generated usable gas and is now ready to be disposed of.considering the nutrient rich nature of the produce it can be disposed of in gardens, toilets or simply thrown on the lawn as a form of fertiliser.
dECOmposer - decomposed food waste in the form of nutrient rich pellets
At the end of the decomposition process the nutrient rich pellets are released into a compartment at the bottom of the device. From here the pellets can be disposed of in many different areas. Being used much the same as composted food providing plants with valuable nutrients as well as having the option of disposing of the pellets for land fill (will decompose completely very quickly and rejuvenate soil) or disposing of the pellets in the toilet for processing in the sewage system.
A video was developed to show the current pain points and how the dECOmposer will positively influence the growing problem of food wastage within today's society.
