PD25 Winner

Category:	Furniture - Urban Furniture
Location:       Michigan, USA
Designers:	Michael Ferency and Michael Welsh and Landscape Forms 
                Design Team, Landscape Forms Inc. Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
Manufacturer:	Landscape Forms Inc.Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA 
Photographs:    Courtesy of Landscape Forms

Rockford Litter + Recycling is a modern receptacle system designed to elegantly enhance landscape stewardship in a range of demanding outdoor settings. Created in collaboration between Landscape Forms and Grand Rapids-based industrial designer Michael Welsh, Rockford is adaptable in function and form, its refined silhouette designed to work both solo and in efficient, modular groupings for litter, compost and different categories of recycling.

Available in side-opening and top-opening styles, Rockford’s differentiating design details communicate quality and serve to quietly elevate fellow site furnishings and streetscape elements. On the side-opening version, the lid takes the form of an origami-inspired folded plane, seemingly floating above the container. For the top-opening model, the litter’s lid is akin to an oblique pyramid with the faces cut out, lending the receptacle a directional quality and a rhythm when placed in groupings.

Complementing the thoughtful, minimalist design, Rockford Litter + Recycling’s increased volume, durable all-metal construction, and ease of servicing make it an ideal solution for high-traffic public outdoor spaces. On both the side- and top-opening versions, the lid can be color coded to clearly communicate to users its appropriate contents when placed together in scalable groupings. A locking front access door and bag catch ensures ease of servicing, allowing contents to be comfortably removed through the front of the receptacle. The 45-gallon capacity reflects the standard specification for many municipalities, enabling the Rockford Litter + Recycling system to become a core element in determining a city’s modern, cohesive visual identity.

Rockford Litter + Recycling is constructed using steel for the body and lid and rotomolded plastic for the base. The side-opening version utilizes 73% pre- and post-consumer recycled material in its construction, while the top-opening version utilizes 72%. Both are 100% recyclable at the end of a long life span. All metal components are finished in Landscape Forms’ Panguard II® Polyester Powdercoat, a proprietary finish recognized for its artful color palette and industry-leading durability, color retention and resistance to wear.