Sustainability device

FrostBin

A freezer compost bin that kills odour and speeds decomposition.

Year: 2025
Discipline: Sustainability device
Materials: Iterative prototyping · CAD
Role: Design research, ideation, prototyping, user testing, CAD

A freezer-based compost storage bin. Freezing compost ruptures cell walls so it breaks down faster after thawing — and storing it in the freezer cuts odour and attracts fewer pests.

Context

Compost, frozen.

A freezer-based compost bin reduces odour and pests. Freezing ruptures cell walls, helping scraps break down faster once thawed

FrostBin — final rendering of the bin with its lid lifted off — An injection-moulded HDPE drawer with a sliding stainless lid.

Process

Test for fit, then for capacity.

Design research led into ideation, prototyping, and user testing, then CAD modelling. Prototypes were tested for capacity and fit — settling on roughly 3.9 litres that slots cleanly onto a freezer shelf.

FrostBin — ideation sketch sheet exploring a handsfree floor bin, touchscreen and standalone freezer bins, a countertop bin, a bottom-shelf drawer, and a freezer-door mount — Divergent concepts made during the ideation process.

FrostBin — four cardboard prototypes labelled 1 through 4 with dimensions — Four cardboard prototypes, each tested for capacity and fit inside a freezer.

FrostBin — exploded CAD drawing of the drawer, shelf, and sliders — Drawer, waterjet-cut stainless shelf, and cold-drawn sliders — roughly 3.9 litres.

Renderings

FrostBin — final rendering, top-down view

FrostBin — the freezer-shelf context the bin was designed for