Waterhaul: Litter Picker

Waterhaul help to fight marine pollution by extracting waste, such as ghost fishing nets, before turning it into injection-moulding granules. They both sell and use these granules, manufacturing functional objects such as sunglasses and litter picking equipment.

We were approached by Waterhaul to redesign their litter pickers, applying our knowledge and skills in sustainable design to aid in their mission to tackle ghost gear in oceans, transforming waste to a valued resource.

You can read more about Waterhaul’s story and check out their range of lovely products on their website.


Project aims:

  • Redesign the original litter picker to make it more ergonomic for adults and children, whilst allowing it to fit within the slim packaging.

  • Integrate branding into the physical design to make it recognisably waterhaul

  • Consider design for injection moulding principles so that the finished product can be manufactured at scale

  • Improve the ergonomics of the handle without comprimising manufacturability or ability to fit into Waterhaul’s standard shipping box.

  • Improve repairability by replacing rivets with removable fixings, and reducing the amount of fixings required for assembly to minimise assembly time.

  • Can we reduce the amount of different materials used within the assembly by substituting the magnet and rubber counter-grip with marine plastic?

  • Shrinkage on the jaw and trigger components is caused by varied cooling rates within the thick component during the injection moulding process.

  • Sharp edges of extrusion and plastic joint component reduces the longevity of the string responsible for gripping litter when the trigger is pulled.

  • Provide a satisfying haptic feedback experience when folding the two halves of the litter picker together to confirm connection before storing.

  • Maintain branding and a sense of product individuality across the litter picker to make it distinctive and unmistakably Waterhaul.

Alongside improving the ergonomics of the handle (originally Waterhaul’s key focus), and retaining branding and a sense of identity, the primary elements of the redesign that quickly became apparent to us was the production and assembly of the litter picker, featuring in four of the seven issues outlined above. As a young design consultancy, this presented a healthy set of challenges to solve throughout the duration of the project, providing us with a good opportunity to demonstrate our skills in resolving function with form, mechanics with aesthetics, manufacturability with usability.

  • Early phases of the project involved diverse exploration into the ergonomics and operation of the handle and trigger components.

  • We also thought about how a hinge might enable a haptic experience and reduce string wear, as well as how we might optimise manufacturability,

  • We designed and tested a half-barrel hinge with a lock, but ultimately decided to improve the existing sleeve joint design of the original product.

  • The handle ‘waffling’ was developed to allow the injection moulding of a single body that fills the hand, whilst avoiding shrinkage during the process.

  • Earlier prototypes, retained a similar assembly design, with the aluminium housing the mating surfaces, but replaced the rivets with chicago bolts.

  • We conducted primary research, asking the public to compare ergonomics to the existing waterhaul picker, and a couple of other competitors.

  • This also included field research with litter picking groups, to whom we handed the prototypes to test them over an longer period of time.

  • The new design tested well with a variety of litter types, including heavy glass bottles, appearing to retain strength after waffling was applied.

  • Eventually, we settled on a handle design which housed the end of the aluminium, to reduce the amount of fixings, and resolved the form.

Although functionality and manufacturability guided much of the development process, we wanted to ensure that the product’s visual character remained a key consideration throughout. The alignment and extrapolation of edges, surfaces and silhouettes between the handle and trigger was a principle we established well before beginning to fabricate prototypes, whilst the thickness of the waffle ribs on the handle and jaw, and the spacing between them, weren’t determined until we refined the components to accommodate tooling constraints. We also took great care to blend the organic contours of the handle body with the more rigid geometry of the aluminium chassis. This extended to terminating each of the components that sleeve over the chassis with the same spline curve, enhancing the visual continuity between individual parts throughout the assembly.

Waterhaul opted for a striped waffle design with their logo presented in the middle, making their litter pickers identifiable. The ribs of the pattern provide enough surface area for the ejector pins to push the component out of the mould once cooled and set.

The new litter picker is fully repairable, replacing the seven rivets in the old model with five chicago screws. All of the plastic components are manufactured from their marine polymer. Waterhaul also sell spare parts, and provide repair tutorial videos.

The slots in the end of the trigger allow use of a two-part mould to form a slot and hole to secure the string to the component. The ribbed shape allows the part to set evenly, reducing deformation, adds strength and provides a wide surface for comfort.

We decided to refine the connector, adding a slot and a ‘string cap’ to protect the chord from wear. The ends of the connector follow the same spline as that of the end of the handle and the counter-grip on the front to maintain a sense of continuity.

Two prongs on the top of the counter-grip clip into the back of the handle, securing the two halves together whilst the litter picker is folded and avoiding use of additional materials, such as the magnet that features in the original litter picker.

It is available in both adult and kids sizes on the Waterhaul website, along with other equipment. With conveniently available spare parts and a series of helpful repair guide videos, Waterhaul is empowering their customers to repair their litter pickers at home, helping to extend the life of each one. This also allows users to continue helping to clean up the planet as soon as possible in the event of a breakage, without having to spend more money on an entirely new litter picker.

The slots on the back of the handle also act as a go-pro mount when in use, allowing users to easily film their litter picking expeditions, collect data and take advantage of social media in encouraging others to join the fight against the pollution of our streets and countryside.

Next

New Portfolio Entry pending