Meet the four designers taking on this challenge:
Amelia Ade
Amelia Ade is a Social Designer, Researcher, and Programme Manager based in Jakarta. Amelia merges her background in interior architecture and social development to design platforms that support community-driven solutions. With a passion for participatory design, she focuses on empowering local voices in shaping urban and social futures.
Mayra Kapteijn
Mayra Kapteijn is a Strategic Designer with a background in Social Psychology based in Amsterdam. She brings both high energy and deep thought to every project. She sees a lot of opportunities, gets inspired by people and is endlessly curious about them. With her experience designing interventions for complex social problems, she looks forward to combining curiosity and strategy to build impactful, inclusive systems.
“Joining this Lab is an opportunity to work with transdisciplinary experts and designers from the Netherlands on real waste challenges in Indonesia. I hope to unpack these through design, community action, and tech — while centering waste pickers as key actors in shaping inclusive waste solutions.”
“I love that the brief is about sustainability and about providing value to perhaps the most undervalued group in society: waste collectors. I’m curious what I can learn from Indonesia’s approach to systemic change.”
Noud Sleumer
Noud Sleumer helps to make complex processes tangible. How? As a designer, he analyses social issues down to the bone. Based on design research, he creates new, visual interpretations of complex systems. He’s previously explored the informal e-waste economy and is passionate about turning research into tangible tools for reflection and transformation.
Yasmin Dhania
Yasmin Dhania is an Architect, Urban Designer and Socio-preneur in Indonesia. With a strong focus on human-centered and sustainable design, she works at the intersection of urban development, community, and ecology. Her work often blends recreational environments with educational and social programming.
“I look forward to collaborating with other designers and stakeholders in Indonesia. I think I can learn a lot about the way they approach these kinds of design challenges. And I want to go beyond researching systems—I want to build concrete proposals for prototypes and designs.”
“The waste problem in Indonesia is a complex issue with many layers. I’m excited to collaborate with fellow designers and explore creative, sustainable solutions that help foster healthier living environments.”
Samen herdenken deze vier ontwerpers hoe we met afval omgaan — niet alleen als materieel vraagstuk, maar als een sociaal vraagstuk. Door over grenzen van cultuur en discipline heen te werken, willen ze systemen ontwerpen die duurzaam, inclusief en verankerd zijn in lokale realiteiten.
Houd dit lab in de gaten terwijl ze het veld ingaan, afvalinzamelaars ontmoeten en stap voor stap bouwen aan de toekomst — één prototype tegelijk.