NUS plans to phase out key takeaway disposables (e.g. PP5 cups and paper-based containers) in canteens by 2025, which comprise a sizeable component of the waste sent for incineration that is not accepted by industry for recycling. To support this policy implementation, a convenient and operationally feasible reusable rental system will be implemented to facilitate ease of return – this had been piloted in the first scenario call of the Zero Waste Testbed Initiative at NUS Techno Edge canteen. In addition, the user experience of the system needs to facilitate the repetition of the behaviour for habit formation.

1. Reusable cup design

A pleasant experience of using a reusable cup could encourage subsequent use. Cups also have operational requirements from stallholders and central cleaning facilities. For example, cups for fruit juice stalls require transparency to identify the type of drink easily and include a reusable straw for ice-blended drinks. Cups for hot drinks should prevent scalding when held and made of a light material for ease of collection. As all the reusable cups are steam-washed centrally by machines, the design should have minimal gaps (e.g. at the screw lid or mouth of cup) to minimise accumulation of dirt for easy washing.

How might a reusable cup be designed to meet the above requirements to improve its versatility and provide a pleasant experience for the user? Applicants are expected to produce a mock-up design (e.g. through 3D rendering) for preliminary evaluation.

     2. Behavioural-based “reward” scheme for everyday habit

Renting a reusable or bringing one’s own reusable for takeaways in a canteen requires some intrinsic effort to overcome status quo inertia and sufficient repetition to become an automatic routine (i.e. a habit). To encourage habit formation, one way is to surprise users with random or intermittent small rewards to spur repetition. A large one makes the behaviour largely contingent on the rewards – when the rewards are removed, the desired behaviour likely discontinues.

How might a reward scheme be designed to encourage habit formation that can be operationalised in an NUS canteen? Applicants are expected to also conduct behavioural data measurements over a period of time to quantify the efficacy of the scheme.

Developing a recycling habit should ideally start from young. Beyond an information-based education for recycling, taking a behaviourally-informed approach could more effectively develop good habits.

According to Daniel Kahneman’s theory of human behaviour, people have two systems of thinking where System 1 is automatic, fast and concrete (e.g. imagine stopping quickly upon seeing the red man at a traffic light junction) while System 2 is slow, effortful and abstract (e.g. imagine mentally trying to compute “239 x 123”). This dual system theory can explain people’s habits on recycling (or lack of).

People might use heuristics (or simple rule of thumbs) to decide what can be recycled. Given people’s busy routines, it is unlikely that they will stop in their tracks to read and understand the labels on recycling bins, or search on the internet what can be recycled (System 2). Instead, they might use their immediate senses (e.g. sight, touch) and abstract thinking (e.g. paper, plastic categories) to determine if an item is recyclable (System 1), resulting in contamination in recycling bins.

How can a project be designed for primary school students so that they can develop a habit to recycle right in the school and/or at home? Applicants need not have behavioural science background and may curate multiple ideas in a project.