True to its mission to “put a digital twist in the real world,” the French design studio Soixante Circuits has recently teamed up with creative agency BETC for the launch of a new product that looks and acts like a real bin. And here’s the twist: It isn’t intended to be used for real, everyday garbage. Instead, the IRL Trashcan addresses internet users, inviting them to use the innovative product to get rid of their digital waste.

Because it is “too invisible,” the general public doesn’t know much about digital pollution. Unfortunately, it does exist; it’s a major issue and a real nightmare for nature. According to the company, digital pollution is responsible for 4% of all global greenhouse effects. Not being able to actually see it, people might not realize that their online behavior harms the offline environment.

Humans tend to not consider what we cannot see. So, to make it visible, Soixante Circuits found a clever way to raise awareness about the impact of digital pollution by simply defining the invisible using physical terms. Along with BETC, the company developed the first physical bin that deletes trash emails, thus removing the CO2 emissions from people’s mailboxes.

Made for small and large businesses, the IRL Trashcan is actually a gadget that borrows the looks of the trashcan icon. Designed using 100% recycled and sustainable materials, the bin includes a small computer connected to the local Wi-Fi network that can synchronize with employees’ email accounts in real-time. The interaction is possible thanks to NFC. Just pass the smartphone over the trashcan and the trash email folder is instantly cleaned!

According to those behind the device, the companies involved in the initial program are already hosting the IRL Trashcan, which is available for employees. But Soixante Circuits and BETC want to get the attention of other companies, so the duo has decided to make the bin available to all: “We believe that it is by a commitment from the largest number of people possible that we will finally raise awareness around the issue of digital waste,” explained the inventors.

The idea behind this product is to establish a new gesture and type of reflex that’s pretty similar to people’s behavior when throwing something in the recycling bin. With the IRL Trashcan, people can dispose of their digital waste as they would their everyday rubbish. While the device won’t solve the problem by itself, one can’t deny IRL Trashcan’s potential of raising awareness about digital pollution, sparking new conversations on this topic, and inspiring people to readjust their online behavior in order to reduce their digital footprint.

Credits:

Client: Soixante Circuits

Agency: BETC