PolyU designs innovative trolleys for street cleaners

A team from Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has designed innovative trolleys for cleaning workers, featuring improved braking systems and secure trash can lids to ensure the safety and health of the city's 13,000 cleaners.

Over 30 individuals from various fields, including design, rehabilitation sciences, and engineering, engaged in a PolyU Jockey Club "Operation SoInno" workshop to design two new cleaners' trolleys.

The team highlighted that current trolleys tend to overload and slip on sloped or uneven surfaces, posing risks of accidents.

The design of the two new trolley prototypes was primarily different in length, with removable components to accommodate the cleaners' needs.

For instance, users could add netting, expanded brackets, and tool guards to help separate personal belongings, garbage bags, trash, and cleaning supplies and reflective strips to improve visibility for pedestrians and drivers in low-light settings, lowering the likelihood of traffic accidents.

Meanwhile, nylon fishnets are added between the handle and the platform to prevent the garbage from falling. 

The two newly designed carts, each capable of carrying a load of about 100 kilograms, are being tested in the laboratory and on the streets.

Four cleaners from various districts gave positive feedback after a few days of field testing in July, appreciating the simplicity provided by the braking system and the nylon mesh net to prevent rubbish from dropping.

Some cleaners noted that the trolleys were quite heavy and expressed concerns that the new trash bin covers could limit the available space for garbage.

The team also intends to recruit a broader range of workers for street testing and encourage the inclusion of workers' preferred accessories in different departments in the future.