Clean Cornwall’s Litter Picking Bag Project with Falmouth University

Over the past year, Clean Cornwall have been collaborating with Sustainable Product Design student Marcie Russell who took on their design brief to create a reusable litter picking bag with sections for categorising waste.

The team recently attended the exhibition of Marcie's work at Falmouth University, titled "Path and Mind", featuring a proposed app, reusable litter picking bag system and eye catching bamboo litter pickers. The prototypes are made almost entirely from reclaimed and renewable materials, including discarded pub umbrellas donated by Pogessi Umbrellas, and reclaimed seatbelts to form a sturdy strap, generously provided by Henry Orchard & Sons - one of our fantastic Change Maker businesses. 

Each component of Marcie's innovative work comes together to form a unique litter picking system, minimizing plastic waste and maximizing the recovery of useful materials. The bags can also be customised to suit each user's needs thanks to the adjustable straps and modular structure - allowing the user to bring as many or as little separate categories as they require. 

Informed by research with regular litter pickers, this system is worlds away from a black bin liner. Users can now separate their litter into recyclable categories such as electricals like vapes, fishing gear and glass to protect not only our environment but those that are involved in waste management. Clean Cornwall will continue to grow this project with Marcie and hope to have the bags available to purchase on our website in the future.

If you'd like to see more of Marcie's sustainable product design work, please visit her on Instagram @marcie.russell.design