H2020 Waste4Think Project: Moving towards lifecycle thinking through the integration of advanced waste management systems
- Type Project
- Status Filled
- Execution 2016 -2020
- Assigned Budget 8.818.556,12 €
- Scope Europeo
- Main source of financing H2020
- Project website Waste4Think
Waste4Think is a project created by, with, and for people. For this reason, socially responsible research and innovation have been carried out throughout the project, promoting specific activities to foster citizen empowerment. Different approaches to this comprehensive solution have been implemented and tested at four pilot sites:
Cascais: Towards a Pay-Per-Generation (PAYT) model
This coastal tourist city with high seasonal variations in its population has implemented the following actions:
- Introduction of monitoring systems in containers and trucks
- Optimizing the collection service by taking into account the fill level of the containers
- Introduction of a collective PAYT, in addition to incentives to encourage participation in prevention initiatives and awareness campaigns
Halandri: new circular model based on biowaste
This business city has focused on:
- The implementation of a circular economy model based on biowaste. Source separation and selective collection of fermentable household waste have been implemented to produce a biomass product from food waste for the production of biofuels and compost.
- The development of a treatment plant for the recovery of high-quality products from diapers
- The creation and implementation of instruments to facilitate long-term planning and citizen participation in decision-making
Seveso - Goal: zero waste
The population of this residential city has a high level of awareness. The goal was to improve their results by:
- Implementation of a PAYT system based on the use of labels on bags
- Innovative social awareness campaigns have been carried out to support the new management model, such as Funny Door to Door, educational actions in schools and the promotion of zero-waste food events.
- Participation of a small number of households (Virtuous Homes Towards Zero Waste) in ongoing training and very strict monitoring as an example for the rest of the population
Zamudio: Citizen empowerment as an instrument of change
This small, highly industrialized city has improved its waste management system by:
- Creating zero-waste ecosystems
- A collection truck monitoring system to enable collection optimization based on container weighing and smart locks. Implementation of three different PAYT models (domestic, restaurant/hotel, and industrial) through citizen co-creation processes.
To achieve these goals, specific environmental programs have been implemented in each pilot project, including innovative social initiatives based on games and apps.
Finally, various tools have been deployed to improve operations and management, waste collection, and medium- and long-term planning, demonstrating their potential to improve waste management systems from environmental, technical, economic, and social perspectives.
Almost 9% of the waste generated in the EU comes from households, which amounts to an average of 475 kg per person per year. In total, 26% of municipal waste is sent to landfills, 27% is incinerated, and only 47% is composted or recycled. This means that 80 million tons of recyclable materials are discarded or wasted annually. Among recyclables, bio-waste (and especially food waste) is the most sensitive fraction, as its management (as a resource for material or energy recovery) is key to a good waste management system. Furthermore, approximately 75% of food waste could be avoided, so prevention efforts need to be stepped up. Waste management represents a cost of billions of euros in our public budgets and, in environmental terms, accounts for more than 3% of total GHG emissions in Europe (more than 100 million tons of GHG).
The challenge lies in improving waste management not only in economic and operational terms, but also considering its environmental and social impact.
To this end, WASTE4THINK aims to advance current waste management practices toward a circular economy. To this end, we have integrated and validated 20 eco-innovative solutions spanning the entire value chain, from innovative social actions to prevent waste generation to ICT tools and economic instruments to improve collection and recycling, and two new processes for the recovery of high-quality valuable materials from waste. The benefits of these solutions have been enhanced by a holistic waste data management methodology based on ICT tools developed on the components of the FIWARE community. These tools have been demonstrated in four complementary urban areas in Europe: Zamudio (ES), Seveso (IT), Halandri (GR), and Cascais (PT).
The most significant impacts achieved are: a 15% increase in waste sorting, an 11% savings in management costs, a 47% reduction in GHG emissions, and more than 120,000 interactions with citizens.
These results are primarily due to the introduction of separate food waste collection, the improvement of the waste collection system, and the implementation of pay-as-you-go strategies, along with an intensive social action plan. Overall, there has been an increase in recovered resources (which translates into significant savings in environmental impact, such as GWP) and in waste diverted from landfills (with a significant reduction in biowaste sent to these facilities and the resulting GHG emissions).
The main objective of this project is to advance current waste management practices toward a circular economy, demonstrating the value of integrating and validating a set of 20 eco-innovative solutions that cover the entire waste value chain. The benefits of these solutions will be enhanced by a holistic waste data management methodology and will be demonstrated in four complementary urban areas in Europe.
Eco-innovative solutions include technological and non-technological tools such as: a) IT tools to support daily operation and long-term planning, b) Applications for citizen empowerment and participation, c) Educational materials based on innovative teaching units and serious games, d) Citizen science tools for co-creation of novel solutions, e) Mechanisms to drive behavioral change based on economic instruments and social actions, and f) Decentralized solutions for valorization and reuse of high-value resources.
The different solutions will be implemented in four complementary European regions: a) Zamudio (ES) is a highly industrialized area with a sparse population that uses selective curbside collection; b) Halandri (GR) is a large suburban town with a wide range of businesses and a very basic waste management system; c) Seveso (IT) is a residential town that uses a door-to-door system; d) Cascais (PT) is a large coastal town with a high tourism rate that implements an advanced collection system.
The project includes a consortium of 19 partners, including four public agencies and administrations, three research centers and universities, eight SMEs, two local companies, one cluster, and one NGO. The project will work together for 36 months, with a total EC contribution of €9 million. The most significant expected impacts are a 20% increase in waste sorting, a 10% savings in management costs, and a 10% reduction in GHG emissions. The experience gained and the synergies between the partners outline the best-case scenario for implementing new governance and business models.
Waste4Think represents a breakthrough compared to current commercial solutions in the field of urban waste management for several reasons. A multi-stakeholder approach has been implemented through the integration of different solutions that span the entire waste value chain. Different stakeholders can operate simultaneously within the Waste4Think Suite, which has reached a level that makes these eco-solutions reliable for municipalities or waste management companies.
The activities carried out by Waste4Think contribute to policymaking at various levels. Looking at the Waste Directive (EU) 2018/851, it is clear that the main objective is a high recycling rate. The Waste4Think pilot projects are an example of how goals previously considered unattainable can be achieved with the right tools.
The project's results are also highly oriented toward policy implementation, such as the definition and approval of innovative economic instruments (PAYT) implemented in Seveso, Cascais, and Zamudio with satisfactory results. Good examples of impact on environmental policies are also the establishment of bio-waste collection in Halandri and food donation in Zamudio. The innovative treatment of bio-waste and diapers in Halandri also addresses new technological approaches to waste management.
The activities carried out have contributed to the identification of legal barriers that impede progress toward a new management model. To overcome these barriers, other alternatives have been implemented, and regulatory proposals have been submitted to the relevant authorities.
- FUNDACION DEUSTO
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