De Goedzak

Waarmakkers, a design studio consisting of Simon Akkaya and Maarten Heijltjes, seeks to engage users with its human-oriented innovations. Their designs test convention and reimagine conventional materials such as cardboard and push boundaries in recycling and reuse.

Their first product as a studio was the Goedzak, a simple plastic garbage bag that invites interaction and recognizes and stimulates positive human behaviour. A clear bag with a brightly coloured stripe emblazoned with ‘GOEDZAK’ (‘do-gooder’), the Goedzak is intended to hold waste from one household that may still be useful to others. Put out on the curb on garbage day, the Goedzak makes it ok to take its contents, acknowledging the unspoken civic agreement of ‘one man’s trash…’ Goedzak can extend the lifetime of products and stimulate people to deal with discarded products in a more conscious and sustainable manner.