PUNTOnet: Innovative Prototype of Urban Trash Containers Improving Waste Sorting and Widening the Services Offered to the City

In order to meet European objectives in the field of urban waste collection, dustbins need to achieve a greater intelligence to recognize users and measure their garbage. The ongoing changes in waste collection are transforming ordinary garbage bins into innovative urban interface with huge potential, especially due to the capillary diffusion of waste disposal in the built environment. This paper presents a research, commissioned by one of the leading Italian multi-utility operating in environmental service, with the aim to improve municipal management of separate waste collection through the design and test of an innovative multifunctional station, in line with the principles of circular economy. The pilot project combines existing technologies regarding urban waste collection and new smart services for the city (environmental quality, ICT, electrical charging for bikes, video-monitoring and others); PUNTOnet, the innovative urban waste collection point, improves user experience, provides further services for the city and ensures, at the same time, a better management. Results obtained after a 12-month test in a real-world environment show that a more intuitive and user friendly design of waste disposal, associated to rewarding schemes positively affect household behaviour and may generate virtuous attitude for correct waste sorting.