BYO Flat-Pack Recycling Bin: Useful or Not?

French design firm akarchitectes has come up with a "compact, hand-held bin, which easily unfolds into a six-compartment device for garbage and recycling." It's called "the waste-folder," and the idea is that the flat cardboard pre-assembly rectangle is so lightweight and portable that you will keep it in your bag at all times and will never again be without a recycling sorter at spontaneous "picnics, barbecues or unexpected meetings." The sorter itself is made from paper and cardboard, so it can also be recycled after use.

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But is this a useful, eco-friendly solution, or does it actually create more waste in itself?

I'm leaning toward the latter. For starters, as automated sorting technology improves, more and more jurisdictions are collecting waste in a single stream and separating out the recyclables post-consumer, making the whole thing a redundant exercise. Secondly, as a commenter over at DesignBoom notes, there's nothing stopping you from returning home with your waste and recycling, composting, or disposing of it appropriately there, without adding the waste-folder's extra cardboard and paper into the mix. And finally, despite the fact that I own a light-weight, compact set of reusable to-go-ware, I find I hardly ever have it on hand when I actually need it. I suspect a similar fate for the waste-folder.

What do you think—does the waste-folder look useful to you, or not? Vote below, and let me know your reasons in the comments.