As part of his bachelor's thesis at HAWK, our employee Kareem Goshan designed a design composter that simplifies waste separation and composting in Egyptian households. In doing so, he is not only trying to improve the everyday lives of Egyptians, but also to solve a much bigger problem.
While sustainability and ecology were not an issue for product design graduates 10 years ago, students today are increasingly encouraged to address these very issues in the design and production process.
Our employee Kareem was able to sharpen his eye for ecology and sustainability in his studies for design and product design at HAWK and deepen it with practical experience at ekomia.
During his studies in Germany, Kareem noticed that the valuable organic waste in his native Egypt is often burned in the desert. One thought eventually turned into a bachelor's thesis that resulted in a stylish compost product for every household.
Kareem has developed a solution that simplifies waste separation and composting in Egyptian households. In doing so, he is not only trying to improve the everyday lives of Egyptians, but also to solve a much bigger problem.
For the most part, waste separation in Egypt works differently than in Germany or other European countries. While waste separation is a matter of course for most people in this country, there is no general system regulating waste disposal in Egypt.
During his bachelor thesis, Kareem travelled to Egypt and spoke with families who earn their living by separating waste. After conducting several surveys and conversations on the topic with acquaintances in Cairo, Kareem realised that many people are not aware of the extent of the problem. Locally, larger waste management organisations mainly take care of the recycling of plastic waste. The organic waste, however, is disposed of by burning.
At the same time, the demand for organic fertiliser is currently growing. Farmers in Egypt are currently being persuaded by the government to farm more organically and produce organic food. In the end, Kareem's product idea could be a win-win situation for the people and the environment.
The composter is called "Duda" and means worm in Arabic. While the design is more reminiscent of a Midcentury shelf, the composter is highly functional.
It consists of modules that you stack on top of each other depending on how much rubbish you use. Each module has a space in between filled with sand. The sand is always moistened with water and ensures that the water evaporates more slowly.
At the beginning, some soil and worms are filled in, which are supposed to make friends with each other in the first step. And off we go with the rubbish filling.
You need about 500 grams of worms for a 2-person household and you can start recycling your organic waste.
The material for the design composter should of course be sustainable and regional. So Kareem decided on clay. Moreover, the material is perfectly suited to the temperature conditions in Egypt.
Actually a perfect idea for the household to spice up your own vegetable or herb garden with good fertiliser. And of course you can also build your own construction out of wood from the DIY store.
We thank Kareem Goshan for allowing us to present his great idea in our blog.