Description:

Food waste that ends up in landfill contributes roughly 4% of our global greenhouse gas emissions. This food waste is generated by roughly 50% of the population disposing of their food waste directly into the rubbish collection systems. This high rate of inefficient waste disposal is partially due to lack of disposal options, and areas such as apartment buildings are poorly served in this area.

RESERVE is a modular vermi-composter/planter box system designed for people living in small apartments in the city. It combines a worm farm (vermicomposter) and a planter box to turn food waste into compost, which can then be used to grow edible plants indoors.
The system consists of perforated tubs that separate active containers full of worm activity and fresh food waste from inactive containers full of processed compost. Worms can easily move between tubs through the perforated sides, leaving behind the processed compost. As a result, users can collect it without having to sift the worms out of it. The same tubs are also used to grow plants, as the perforations allow for plenty of drainage and oxygenation, which improves plant growth.
RESERVE helps apartment dwellers turn their food waste into a resource within their own homes. It is made of recycled thermoformed wood fibres for the main shell and recycled food-safe PETG plastic bottles for the perforated tubs. The system enables users to minimize their environmental impact, save money, and learn new gardening skills. It reframes how people look at their food scraps from something to be disposed of to something they can feed to their worms and turn into fertilizer to grow their own food.
By utilizing the food they purchase to its fullest and reducing the volume of food waste generated, people can extend the value of their food waste by using it to grow new food. With increasing awareness of climate change and its effects, as well as rising living costs, people are looking for ways to become more environmentally sustainable and self-sufficient. RESERVE offers a solution to these problems and encourages users to ask themselves, "Should I throw this away? or does it have value that I have not taken advantage of yet?"