PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The environmental and health impacts of badly managed waste are key concerns for our society. If not properly managed, waste can have significant negative impacts on the environment, human health, and on climate change. EU Member States and the European Commission are aware of these concerns and new approaches are encouraged that provide sustainable solutions to the challenge of cost-effective waste management.
OBJECTIVES
The CREWSOD project’s main objectives focused on the introduction of a new public participation approach to minimising the amount of waste that people produce: those that produce less waste will pay less for their waste collection services. The aim was to apply this innovative approach across the entire territory of the Municipality of Mosciano Sant'Angelo, in Italy’s Teramo province, after a preliminary test in the suburban area of Selva Piana. Specific aims were to survey participants to determine their waste management needs and behaviour; to set up and distribute customised collection calendars; to monitor the types and volumes of different wastes produced; to provide information to promote waste minimisation; and to consider imposing fines to prevent the misuse of the system.
RESULTS
The CREWSOD project introduced a public participatory approach to minimise the amount of waste produced, by offering people incentives to recover and separate their waste. This individually-tailored waste collection approach was trialled in a suburban area, and then demonstrated in seven municipalities in a rural area of the Abruzzo region (Italy).
The project team produced seven prototypes of communal computerised containers, called ‘Eco-Houses’, for the collection of separated waste. These were developed, assembled and tested in seven Italian municipalities. The innovative design of the Eco-houses, with a personal key card access system, enabled the automated weighing of separated wastes and the traceability of users. The project also acquired new vehicles, bins and bags to help ensure the efficient operation of these waste processing stations.
The innovative CREWSOD approach was based both on a door-to-door collection, Service on Demand (SOD), and a complementary Self-Service on Demand (SSOD) collection involving the Eco-Houses. During the CREWSOD demonstration, around 36 tonnes/year of separation waste was collected from around 8 000 users issued with access cards. The extent of the reduction of waste production by both commercial activities and private users, recorded during the project lifetime, was lower than what the beneficiaries expected.
The project defined its flexible tariffs system (SOD and SSOD) for waste collection, based on the principle that those who produce more waste also pay more for its collection. This approach, which rewards households and businesses that make the most effort to usefully separate their wastes, was one of the main innovations of the project. However, the flexible tariffs system had not been officially adopted by the participating local authorities by the end of the project. A key lesson learned from CREWSOD, therefore, is that local authorities should be more involved, possibly by means of formal agreements or even as project partners, when these activities are replicated elsewhere in Italy or Europe. The project is considering to have a good demonstration character, which should guarantee the replication of CREWSOD activities, and therefore related environmental benefits, in other EU territories.
During the positive testing phase, the project team collected useful data, via questionnaires and other methods, for moving the public participatory waste collection approach forward. The project raised people’s awareness of the waste production process and waste management issues, and gave citizens a greater sense of responsibility. Dissemination initiatives were aimed at the main potential users of the CREWSOD service, including the general public, the student community and local companies.
As for the policy implications, the project addressed the need both to recover and recycle waste, in line with the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) due to the development of a system that facilitates the separate collection of waste in rural areas. The main environmental benefit generated by the project is due to the separated collection of waste, and therefore the reduction of its disposal through landfills and incinerators. This also stimulates the sustainable use of natural resources and a life-cycle approach in local commercial activities, in line with EU policy objectives concerning the circular economy.
At the local level, the project’s outcomes highlighted a weakness in Italian legislation regarding waste management: existing laws allow the use of flexible tariffs for waste collection services, but this is constrained because the flat tariff is more profitable for the municipalities. An improvement in this legislation is expected in the near future.
There are many social benefits arising from the benefits project such as creating improvements in the efficiency of separated waste collections in rural areas raising awareness of waste generation and disposal; and reducing illegal and improper waste disposal thanks to the traceability system. Economic savings in the costs for waste collection services are expected, which should lead to lower fees for users: an average saving of about 22% is estimated for each user. Cost savings are also expected in the general management of waste collection services, due to reductions in the amount of waste that is sent for disposal in landfills or incinerators.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
