Making Packaging Waste Sorting More Intuitive in Fast Food Restaurant

Abstract

Consumers are accustomed to classifying garbage in front of recycling stations after finishing their meal at fast food restaurants. However, due to a lack of knowledge about the recyclability of the garbage items, and confusion caused by the weak design of the instruction system provided, many users are not able to complete the sorting task quickly or correctly. The low success rate of the customer’s garbage sorting subsequently results in employees having to spend more time and energy in the following rectifying work, which leads to extra and unnecessary costs for the corporation. Therefore, our researchers have attempted to explore the recycling process from a more cognitive perspective, and proposed a new concept for the sorting task, which is more intuitive and less confusing. Our research was designed into two stages. The first stage is to summarize the criteria of intuitive design with literature reviews, and make adjustments to the current recycling instruction system. The second stage is to conduct simulation experiments to verify the efficiency and correct rate of the new instruction system. Our research is anticipated to verify that an instruction system based on intuitive theory is more efficient, and less confusing to users. The research results will not only be a benefit to the fast food industry, but also to the other recycling instruction systems used in our daily lives.