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published on 02.12.2019

SESAME or when the generator of waste becomes its prime beneficiary

On 1 July 2016, the Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (STIB) removed its 3,700 orange ticket validation machines, replacing them with red MOBIB readers. Originally destined simply for recycling, 1,500 of these machines have now found a new lease of life. 
The machines were once used to validate access to public transport. In their reconditioned form, they are geared towards access to the home, having been repurposed as lock boxes going by the name of SESAME. Wooden plates have replaced the printed circuit boards and there are rubber bands for post or photos. 

We take a look back at the project with its designer, Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte  and Olivier Gilson, Director of MAD Lab.

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