How Might We Support Frequent Movers Dealing with Bulky Waste?
Bulky Waste Collection Service
The overall graduation project aims to mitigate the misplacement of bulky waste around underground waste containers in The Hague. The project proposes the "Oh Oh Pick-Up", a mobile bulky waste pick-up service provided by the municipality. The Hague citizens can dispose of bulky objects/ waste without an appointment, taking items to the designated collection spot and time. Community waste specialists will take items by cargo bike and notify residents that they are coming with music.
Service Design
Social Design
TIME
02/ 2025 - 07/2025 (6 months)
LOCATION
Delft University of Technology
TEAM
Yin-Yu, Lo (Master Thesis)
SKILLS
Field Research, Stakeholder management, Workshop facilitation, Service design
Project Background
The graduation project is built upon Achter afval project and will be part of an ongoing initiative commissioned by the Municipality of The Hague.
Waste misplacement in public spaces is a persistent problem in The Hague.
However, some interventions only address the symptoms with a temporary effect and only work in neighborhoods with high social cohesion (Merkelbach, Dewies & Denktas, 2021).
The results from the Achter afval phase 1 show that waste problems are entangled with structural, social, cultural, and economic aspects in certain neighborhoods of the Hague.
Waste misplacement on the Fugastraat in Loosduinen (Tielemans, 2023).
Among various waste types, bulky waste stands out due to its size and disposal requirements.
It is called “Grofvuil” in Dutch.
Size: Does not fit into underground containers.
Material & Disposal: Often requires separate recycling processes or collection.
In this project, the notion of bulky waste not only refers physical size of items. There’s no precise translation or clear boundary for bulky waste. Even smaller or medium-sized objects that share these characteristics, such as, carpets, luggage cases, screens, and microwaves, are categorized under bulky waste that requires additional recycling.
This project aims to develop integrated solutions that extend beyond the behaviors of individuals.
Integrating a sociological view to understand how entangled elements influence waste disposal as practices
Understanding waste misplacement as a systemic, not just behavioral issue
Balancing the needs between the public sector and residents and forming an inclusive solution
Waste disposal as social practice
Social practice theory focuses on practice in social life rather than individual behavior.
The way we manage waste is subject to different, sometimes influenced by conflicting regulations and valuation systems (Dung, 2021).
As Douglas (1966) argued, “dirt” is a “matter out of place.”
Place attachment could also be a relevant factor in shaping residents' waste disposal practices.
The culture lens of waste
Cultural factors interact in complex ways that impact waste behaviors, including micro-scale, meso-scale, and macro-scale.
The cultural factors that influence the success or failure of related interventions. Waste advocacy often misaligns scales, addressing problems at one level while proposing solutions at another (Liboiron, 2014).
Project Structure
01 Field Research
Understanding Bulky Waste Disposal in The Hague
01. Observation
Field observations were conducted in the Laak, Centrum, and Escamp districts to understand existing infrastructures and waste (mis)placement in these areas.
02. Semi-structured interviews with photo elicitation
The semi-structured interviews aim to understand the experience of bulky waste disposal, taking around 40 minutes to one hour in Mandarin or English.
The approach incorporated photo-elicitation techniques to create a more interactive storytelling environment. Participants were asked to provide pictures of bulky waste near their homes and items they had discarded or planned to address recently.
03. Participant-led tour
The researcher followed three participants to their neighborhood after interviews, which assisted in directly observing the actual living environment and bulky waste on the street. The research visited the Centrum district twice and once in the Laak district.
Interview results
The project interviewed 11 residents who have lived in The Hague, including 8 females and 3 males.
Participants are aged 23 to 36, ranging from students to working professionals.
The majority (nine) had lived or currently live in the Centrum.
Bulky waste disposal is a practice that interacts with meaning, competence, and material.
5 key factors impacting bulky waste disposal were identified:
Personal and Cultural Perceptions
Social Influence
Governance and Norms
Public Infrastructures and Services
Mobility
Key Insight 01
Waste is not a binary category but fluid and formed by social context.
A.4 Anonymousness in discarding waste
How do we identify the misplacement of bulky waste?
Observations reveal that bulky waste left on the streets often lacks visual markers, such as papers or stickers. This lack of informational indicators makes it challenging to determine whether the items have been abandoned or are awaiting collection services and classify waste as "misplaced."
E.2 Residential mobility
If abandoned items are taken by others, is it still misplacement?
A dynamic tension between an object’s perceived value and its classification as waste, depending on whether it is seen as abandoned or repurposed.
Misplacement experience, J09
If bulky waste is collected properly, is it still misplacement?
The case of participant J09 further complicates the concept of misplacement. They put their bulky waste in containers rented by others, raising questions about how misplacement is defined. It challenges that if the waste would be properly collected, it still constitutes misplacement without following official procedures.
"It's not as sustainable if it has to make two trips, but it's more efficient if there's just one." (J09)
Key Insight 02
Misalignment between information delivery and the moment of need, rather than language barriers or living time.
5/ 11 participants know the collection service.
4/ 11 participants know the waste depot.
5-6/ 11 participants didn't receive the registration letter, read the information, and lost their trash card (afvalpass).
None of the participants used the My Clean City App before.
Key Insight 03
Participants are more influenced by the connection with others than by their attachment to a place.
An insight emerging from these findings is that the social connections have a greater impact on people than place attachment, especially close relationships with family, partners, or friends (B. Social Influences). Participants often described feeling connected to people they care about and a sense of "home" in The Hague or the Netherlands rather than physical places.
“I realized that my connection to home was linked to people, which means whether I build better relationships with the people I met there (F08).”
Key Insight 04
Lack of neighborhood-level social interactions and Identity as foreigners lead to irresponsible disposal behaviors.
Few participants mentioned direct interactions with neighbors (B.3 Neighbors and neighborhood).
The anonymity of bulky waste disposal in public spaces reduces people’s sense of personal responsibility (A.4 Anonymousness in discarding waste).
Feeling like a foreigner can reduce a sense of responsibility (A.5 Identity as foreigners in the Netherlands).
Key Insight 05
The perceived meaning of objects is key in deciding whether they’re seen as waste.
The meaning of objects plays a crucial role in determining whether they are considered waste: Value in use, monetary worth, appearance, personal need, and emotional attachment. When the object didn't hold the meaning or value anymore for people, it became waste. Therefore, exploring how to reframe the value of objects will be the point of this project.
"Do I need it? Does it look clean? Does it look safe? For electrical appliances, can they be used again? (F08)” (A.1 Meaning of objects)
"If I could not take a spice rack when moving out, it would become a bulky waste for me (A01)" (E.1 Moving out to a new place)
Key Insight 06
Most findings regarding culture emerged at the micro-scale.
Most findings regarding culture emerged at the micro-scale, such as individuals, family, partner, neighbors, and so on. They also intersect with broader meso- and macro-level factors of regulations or education, highlighting the multi-scalar nature of the practices of bulky waste disposal. Since this project is commissioned by the municipality of The Hague, it further explores how meso-level public services and infrastructure impact micro-scale behaviors, aiming to avoid the misalignment between the scale of the problem and that of proposed solutions.
02 Concept Development
Translating Insights into Five Problem Scenarios
A. Misalignment Between Information Delivery and Moment of Need
B. Weak Sense of Shared Responsibility and Knowledge
C. Ambiguity in Public Responsibility
D. Mobility Constraints in Bulky Waste Disposal
E. Lack of Transparency in Bulky Waste Collection Services
Establishing Common Ground with the municipality of The Hague
The municipality expressed interest in three scenarios: B. Weak Sense of Shared Responsibility and Knowledge and D. Mobility Constraints in Bulky Waste Disposal were identified as the most urgent challenges:
People who lack local knowledge tend to follow others' misplacement behaviors.
With weak shared responsibility in place, they might be indifferent to the waste system.
Policy makers also identified transportation constraints of residents and tried to support them.
The policymakers revealed that they encourage people to use the collection service even for medium-sized objects. Improper disposal without following official procedures may require more manpower to handle.
C. Ambiguity in Public Responsibility was recognized as valuable and suitable for long-term strategies. Policymakers recognized its potential for long-term strategies.
A design vision is envisioned where bulky waste disposal is not seen as a stressful and isolated task.
While earlier findings revealed tension between the municipality and the residents' needs. The project envisioned that the interventions could act as a bridge, providing accessible solutions and supporting responsible disposal behaviors, where both institutional goals and resident needs are addressed.
For residents, especially those with a migration background and a short-term connection to the city. Bulky waste disposal can be done in ways that feel warm, social, and an empowering experience. It provides an opportunity to interact with the neighborhood and feel part of a community, even temporarily. For the municipality, the goal is not just outcome-based efficiency, but creating stronger connections with residents' lived experiences.
Design goal
is to make frequent movers with a migration background feel confident in managing bulky waste and develop a sense of responsibility in the community during housing transitions in The Hague.
Design for residents with migration backgrounds
Persona: Lynn
Age: 30
Languages: English (daily use), Dutch (basic)
Has lived in a rental apartment in the Centrum district for the past five years.
Has relocated several times within The Hague.
Co-design workshop
03 Final Design Concept
Delivering Concept: “Oh Oh Pick-Up” Service
"Oh Oh Pick-Up" is not only about collecting waste in a convenient way.
"Oh Oh Pick-Up" is a bulky waste collection service, which allows The Hague citizens to bring their bulky waste directly to the car without making an appointment.
On weekends, a community waste specialist rides around the neighborhood on a bakfiets (cargo bike), playing the famous music "Oh-Oh Den Haag" to notify residents of its arrival. The community waste specialists will stop by and help residents sort their waste by card and stickers to mark the status of objects.
To boost engagement and support the circular economy, the service occasionally offers small incentives.
Occasionally, the service offers snacks, as the service sometimes partners with local businesses for seasonal promotions. There is a lottery mechanism in place where some snack packagings are with coupons for second-hand stores. This incentive encourages participation and promotes the system of a circular economy.
To ensure efficient waste collection, the cargo bike’s load capacity is a key consideration.
The current concept uses a small cargo bike designed for children, but a larger electric version, like the one from Stadswerkplaats in Groningen, would be more suitable. It can carry up to 250 kg, making it ideal for bulky waste collection.
The service encourages residents to
Reflect on their relationship with their belongings and further Fosters a sense of community.
The journey of collected objects in the “Oh Oh Pick-Up” service at the end of the pick-up time each weekend.
Vital Role of Community Waste Specialist
Besides the residents as main users, the community waste specialist also plays a crucial role. While this role is often referred to as “cleaner,” the project adopts the term “community waste specialist” to more accurately reflect the expertise, knowledge, and social status associated with their work.
User Journey of "Oh Oh Pick-up" service
Tools for sorting the objects
There are three main tools for residents to sort their objects, which are organized in a toolbox hanging beside the cargo bike
"Bye Bye" cards
Residents can write messages, such as for exchange purposes or a final farewell, to objects.
Sentence washi tapes & Round stickers
Residents use sentence tapes and stickers to label the objects. The tapes and stickers are in red, yellow, and green, respectively, indicating whether they are discarded, repairable, or can be reused.
Collection tape
The tape contains the information of phone calls and the online application QR code. People can take it home and paste it on the waste applied for collection service. This not only delivers information about the collection service, but also promotes it that mark legal dumping.
04 Concept Evaluation
Concept Evaluation
Concept evaluation with The Hague citizens
The goal is to explore residents’ perceptions of the service and understand how they envision its implementation in The Hague through a live demonstration.
Semi-structured interviews (~30 minutes) were conducted in participants’ homes with P1 and P2.
A guerrilla study was carried out in the neighborhoods of the Escamp district with P3-P9.
9 participants cover different cultural backgrounds and reflect varying levels of engagement.
Concept evaluation through stakeholders workshop
The goal is to gather feedback from key stakeholders and assess its potential impact.
The workshop invited 7 participants, including policymakers from the Municipality of The Hague, staff from public waste management, and local community coordinators.
Evaluation Results
Insights from Citizen Evaluation
Music as a situated signal.
Music could establish a touch point so that people will know what to do. However, some participants questioned whether people unfamiliar with Dutch culture would not recognize the meaning of the music and take action.
Time arrangement and accessibility of the service.
The importance of having fixed and clearly communicated time slots for the cleaner's visits to the neighborhood. The need to make residents know the service is the key.
The opportunity brings people together.
Participants appreciated that the service could bring people together in a social way and highlight the importance of cleaning worker.
Insights from stakeholders workshop
Opportunities combining the pick-up concept with waste collection day
Positive feedback on using collection tapes to visualize the bulky waste status
The need for stronger collaboration with local actors
Future Development
From the preliminary research phase to long-term operation, the picture outlines how the service is introduced, promoted, and improved, consisting of activities.
Project Conclusion
Discard to Connect
The project laid the groundwork for a more inclusive bulky waste system.
For designers, the project serves as a guide on how to address social issues, engage stakeholders, and consider sociological perspectives.
For the public sector, the project envisions a bulky waste system that places greater importance on inclusivity and sustainability.
Designer to More than a Designer
The designer's work is multidisciplinary, especially in facing complex social issues.
Social design means thinking beyond “users” and considering real-life experiences and social contexts.
Addressing wicked problems requires zooming in and out, balancing stakeholder needs and the target group.