Bin designed by Amsterdam students to separate statiegeld deposits goes viral

Four Amsterdam students have gone viral with a bin they designed to separate statiegeld bottle and can deposits from other rubbish. Racking up more than 2 million views on social media and getting the interest of a city official, the students' school assignment turned out to be a huge success.

Amsterdam students develop statiegeld-return bin

Mike, Kick, Rens and Quirijn are the four students behind the hit statiegeld deposit-return bin in Amsterdam. The students created the bin for a school assignment and it went viral on social media, gathering over 2,7 million views.

"We walk through the city centre a lot and we noticed that all the trash cans were always broken. So we started thinking about an alternative trash can," Quirijn told AT5. They designed a bin with two compartments, one for regular waste and one for statiegeld deposits. 

The cans and bottles that are returned to be recycled are then collected separately in a flap at the bottom of the bin. This way, deposit collectors can easily access the deposits without needing to break the bins and make a mess.

Video of special deposit bin goes viral

The Amsterdam students made a video about their creation and it quickly attracted the attention of viewers. "And then we got 2,7 million views within 24 hours," Mike says. "Never expected to get so many views with a trash can, but we did it anyway."

The video also got the attention of Amsterdam’s Alderman for Waste and Cleaning Hester van Buren. “We greatly appreciate this initiative. Commitment to a clean city is always welcome,” said Van Buren.

However, the design won’t be used in the Dutch capital because the city is already working towards introducing its own model similar to the one the students developed. The students were also invited to visit the Amsterdam stadhuis (city hall).