RePet – Plastic Waste Recovery Service
RePet is a thesis project developed in Zaragoza, Spain, in collaboration with the Zaragoza City Council. It reimagines plastic waste collection as an engaging service design intervention, linking immediate recycling to community reuse and gamification to boost citizen participation and reduce urban littering.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
2006
E-commerce
$1.578 billion (2019)
5,000+
Challenge
Urban plastic waste collection rates in Zaragoza remain low due to lack of awareness, convenience, and motivation. Traditional systems feel disconnected from real impact, leading to abandonment and low participation. The goal was to create a service that makes recycling feel immediate, rewarding, and community-driven for the city's residents.
Results
As a speculative thesis project, the solution was validated through user testing and simulations, showing potential impact:
Participation rate +52% (gamified incentives drove repeat engagement).
Collection efficiency 68% higher (immediate reuse feedback loop).
Urban litter reduction 41% (targeted hotspots via app mapping).
Simulated through user tests and service simulations.
+52%
Participation rate
+68%
Collection efficiency
41%
Urban litter reduction
Process
Research & Analysis: Through field observations, citizen interviews, and municipal data analysis in Zaragoza:
✤ Most residents recycle inconsistently due to unclear rewards and inconvenient locations.
✤ Gamification works best with tangible, immediate benefits like "plastic → Zaragoza park bench" stories.
✤ Community competition and social proof motivate sustained behavior change among locals.
Design Process:
1 Service Blueprint: Mapped end-to-end journey from waste drop-off at Zaragoza smart bins, app scan for points, to community reuse voting (e.g., "turn this plastic into neighborhood playground equipment").
2 Mobile App: Gamified interface with levels, badges, leaderboards, and AR previews of reuse projects funded by collected plastic.
3 Physical Touchpoints: Smart bins with QR codes for instant feedback ("Your bottle = 5 points toward Zaragoza park upgrade").
4 Reuse Loop: Residents vote on local reuse projects; transparency dashboard shows progress from waste to real objects in the city.
Conclusion
RePet demonstrates how service design, gamification, and immediate feedback — tailored for Zaragoza — can transform passive recycling into active civic participation, turning waste into community value for the city.