Diapers have been developed and improved over the last few decades with the primary goals of increased efficiency, lower mass, and better experience for the user and the caregiver. However, little attention has been paid to what happens to the diaper after use. Most caregivers view disposal of diapers as a nuisance and a necessary step of using these convenient products. We want to turn disposal of diapers into a more positive experience.
Propose a solution around diaper disposal that provides a tangible benefit to households using diapers and potentially the larger community as well. Keep in mind the following:
• Approximately 70% of the weight of used diapers is urine and feces
• Caregivers are concerned about how to handle and store a lot of used diapers in the home and dealing with the yuck-factor and offensive odor associated with keeping human body waste around the living environment. Solutions which help caregivers feel a sense of satisfaction or delight upon disposing of diapers are highly preferred.
In your proposal, be sure to explain A) how your idea works, B) how it could be
implemented and C) how it could positively impact a household or entire community.
Your solutions could address one or more of the areas below, but do not feel limited if you see an opportunity not covered below.
-Ways to directly use or transform the used diaper into something safe and useful
which benefits the family household or provides a benefit outside the home.
-Ways for the community to work together and see a collective benefit from disposal of used diapers
-Ways to efficiently collect and aggregate used diapers in the home
-Ways to more easily separate the bodily waste from the diaper raw materials
-Ways to transform or make use of the bodily wastes once removed from the diaper
-Ways to make the used diapers less gross, smelly and hazardous after use
-Ways to make a disposable diaper last longer, be more reusable, or generate less
waste to be put in the landfill
Criteria:
We want your new approaches that are convenient and acceptable to caregivers using disposable diapers. Try to avoid solutions which currently exist in the marketplace such as:
• Diaper Genie®-like solutions
• Fragrance/odor-eliminating trash bags
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Submissions will be graded on the following criteria:
- Meets Deliverables
- Creativity
- Clarity
will receive $200 each
will receive $50 each
| $200.00 |
|
Patrick Bankich Clarkson University | |
| $200.00 |
|
Linda Navarette Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | |
| $200.00 |
|
David Barron University of Texas at Austin | |
| $50.00 |
|
Michael Yu University of Toronto | |
| $50.00 |
|
Rena Chen Princeton University | |
| $50.00 |
|
Zachary Conley University of Arizona |