Wecup Lets You Vote With Trash

Public installation Wecup offers a simple and interactive solution for dealing with the large amounts of waste left after festivals and outdoor events.

The Wecup idea is brilliantly simple: it is made up of two large clear containers with a statement hanging above each one. By placing your plastic cup in one of these containers, you are casting your vote for the corresponding message. The social design project was designed and initiated by Studio Squash, Giacomo Boffo, Allessandro Carosso, and Oana Clitan and first presented at Wereld van het Witte de With Kwartier Festival in Rotterdam.

The installation addresses the problem of the large amount of garbage that is generated at outdoor events such as festivals or concerts, and it works to get people engaged by turning something as uninteresting as throwing out garbage, into a game. It’s a fun way to get festival-goers to be more conscience about what they do with their plastic cups, bottles, and food containers once they’re done with them.

Since it is very common to see the ground littered with plastic cups, containers, and bottles after a festival, its great to see a project such as this work to promote more sustainable public events by making the collection and disposal of recyclables easier. The options are generally light-hearted and cover questions about music, culture, or even urban issues, and the public is then invited to deposit their plastic waste into either container, voting with their trash.

By changing the simple task of throwing out trash into a sort of game, Wecup  engages more people to participate  and has the possibility to promote environmentally-conscious behaviours at the same time. We hope to see  more installations such as Wecup at festivals and open-air events, because whether it’s expressing a preference for either Elvis or Michael Jackson, there is something competitive and delightful in having your vote count in such a small way.