Project Overview

Overview
Willow’s 27L Touch Top Clipaway Kitchen Bin offers an attractive, functional way to secure and conceal a liner bag inside the bin and a top that opens in two ways – with the large red button which operates a spring loaded lid and with a hinged lift-up top for larger items.

The Clipaway feature secures the bin liner, ensuring it does not collapse within the bin, which improves waste management and keeps the bin clean.

Organisation

Willow Ware Australia Pty Ltd

Team

David Flynn, Head of Design.

Project Brief

Project Brief
Standalone Kitchen bins are often kept out of sight due mainly to the nature of the mess they usually contain. The availability of biodegradable materials and the very thin section of the liner bags often cause the bags to collapse within the bin, creating a messy waste spill. We sought a method to secure the Bin Liner bag to the rim.
A secondary problem is the nature of waste itself. In some cases, such as recycling waste, items could be considerably different in size. Most waste bins have a single access lid to take the waste. Our aim was to address this by adding a double action to the lid.
By tackling these issues we aimed to create a distinctive design which does not have the usual messy liners hanging out over the sides and an appearance that added to the overall sophistication of the home.

Project Innovation / Need

Innovative Key Features and Benefits
Double Action opening bin top:
1. Button activated Spring Loaded Lid
The ergonomically designed and intuitive button releases the spring loaded lid.
Operation of the button is highly refined to give a satisfying movement when activated. A positive “click” secures the lid when it is pressed down.
2. Lift up Bin Top
The whole top of the bin pivots up to create a complete opening for any larger waste and to easily access the bin liner.

Bag retention clips:
The rim includes a set of clips which secure the bin liner bag, helping to avoid a messy spill. These pivot open to reveal a channel for the placement of the bin liner bag. Once the liner bag is pushed into the channel, the clips are pressed down and “click” into a secured position. The bag is held firmly avoiding any messy spills.
To remove the liner bag, simply lift the clips upwards, gather the liner bag edges and lift the bag out.

Easy to clean:
The lid top and the overall shape is designed to allow easy cleaning. The retention clips ensure that waste remains in the secured liner, avoiding any waste spills. The whole lid assembly can be removed for cleaning by unclipping the rear pivots.

Strong branding and design:
The overall appearance has arisen from the functional features of the bin, with smooth and clean lines for easy cleaning.
The product is moulded in a high quality grade of Polypropylene with a smooth maintenance free surface finish. A large voluminous top extends outwards to ensure that the waste opening is maximised, giving the bin a distinctive lid and top surround.
The prominently featured red “diamond” button shape borrows from the Willow diamond brand.

Design Challenge

The challenge of 100% Local design and Manufacture
The Willow 27L Clipaway Bin is designed and manufactured in Victoria at the Willow Ware facility in Tullamarine. Willow prides itself in maintaining a full local manufacturing facility with over 400 products in its range. This in itself is a challenge.

Willow purchased a Sydney based company to expand its operations in a range of categories. One of the challenges faced was the integration of some of these new, but unproduced products into Willow’s manufacturing systems. The “Clipaway” bin was one of these products. It required a rethink with the top sections of the design, including the clips, lid and its surround. Our decision to restart the design of a new product with the existing bin base as a “chassis” resulted in this project.

Sustainability

Willow aspires to achieve zero harm to people and the environment through our commitment to continual improvement in performance and efficient use of natural resources. Environment and community responsibilities are integral to the way we do business.
We take this responsibility seriously.
Through the implementation of the Willow Environmental policy, along with supporting procedures and work instructions, Willow has achieved accreditation to the ISO1400:2004 certification. Willow has used the journey to this certification to consider all of its environmental impacts and how these can be reduced as far as practicable.
The strategic environmental goals of Willow are
1. Reduce non-recycled waste
2. Reduce Carbon dioxide emissions
3. Achieve accreditation to Environmental Standard 14064.3
Improvements in the collection of plastic processing waste to ensure it is reground efficiently and reused back into the production stream
Use of plastic regrind in lieu of “virgin” material in the manufacture of certain products Installation of a 250,000 litre Rain Water catchment tank plumbed into the production line, for use in machinery and waste water areas. Commissioning and testing Wind Turbines which will be in operation by 2012/13. These are aimed at reducing our reliance on coal generated electricity and our usage by 10%