Sharing Session: What If We Connect Through Waste?

What if waste could improve lives? In collaboration with Wahu, this Co/Lab Rethinking Waste explores new ways to make Indonesia’s waste collection system more sustainable, fair, and inclusive. Waste collectors play a crucial role in the recycling chain, yet they are often overlooked in formalized solutions. This project examines how they, as the backbone of the system, can be structurally integrated with greater recognition and value.

During this Sharing Session, four designers will share their experiences and insights:

• Amelia Ade (ID) – social designer, specialized in participatory design and community solutions.
• Mayra Kapteijn (NL) – strategic designer, with a background in social psychology and experience in complex societal challenges.
• Noud Sleumer (NL) – designer who makes complex processes tangible and has previously worked on the informal e-waste industry.
• Yasmin Dhania (ID) – architect, urban planner, and social entrepreneur, working at the intersection of community, ecology, and urban development.

Together with residents, waste collectors, industry, and government, they explore how new collection systems can contribute not only to reduced environmental impact but also to increased social value.

About Wahu
Wahu is an innovative player in smart waste collection and recycling in Indonesia. Through their network of Waste Hubs and a mobile app, they reward consumers for returning plastic waste—preventing it from ending up in nature or being burned in open fires. Together with Co/Lab and the designers, Wahu aims to experiment with approaches that empower waste collectors and contribute to structural improvements in Indonesia’s waste management system.

Sharing Session
In this Sharing Session, the designers will take you inside their current experiences with the Co/Lab Rethinking Waste project. They will share how they collaborate with waste collectors, residents, and organizations, the insights they have gained so far, and the challenges they face in developing more sustainable and inclusive waste collection systems. Visitors will get a unique look into the design process and the collaboration between the Netherlands and Indonesia, with space for dialogue and questions.

Registration
👉 Register here before 14 September 2025.