This is a sleek, classic garbage can or rubbish bin, depending on which side of the ocean you live near, is modeled on the 1939 pedal bin, a traditional garbage can design. But it’s also made with 75% recycled materials. This may look like a classic home addition, but actually, this is the future of throwing stuff away.
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Holger Nielsen made the Vipp15 pedal bin in Denmark in 1939. The new Vipp garbage can is a design created by a group of engineers who decided to make some dramatic changes. They reused the company’s production waste to create this sleek design.
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Moreover, the production waste is reprocessed and turned into a signature fiber. This material was used to shape the body of the can. Plastic leftovers and sawdust were smooshed together to create the new material. Locally-sourced wood leftovers from Vipp’s tabletop manufacturing efforts were used, along with the plastic waste from wrappings used in the company’s sofa production efforts.
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The redesign is not an alteration of the original design, just a new way of creating the can that was formerly made with steel. The 3.7 kilograms of steel once used to make one of these cans is recycled plastic and sawdust that would otherwise release harmful emissions into the atmosphere.
Additionally, the proprietary fiber used by Vipp to create the can has a natural grayish color with a visibly mottled surface that creates an interesting and modern look. There’s no coloring or embellishment added. This is what the plastic and sawdust fiber looks like in its finished form. Lastly, a protective coating is added to preserve the unique look.
“It is imperative to us that greener doesn’t mean grim. To encourage innovation towards a more mindful use of waste materials, a recycled version of the bin should be steadfastly faithful to its original aesthetic,” said Vipp’s project manager, Mikkel Bech Nielsen.
Images via Vipp
