The waste management project begins, a memorandum of understanding between the Municipality and the University of Pisa
[7 Maggio 2024]
One of the initiatives envisaged in the new waste management plan of the University of Pisa, developed by the University Sustainability Commission with CONAI (National Packaging Consortium) and Contarina SpA is an app to control the type and quantity of waste in bins and capable of developing reports and educating users to improve separate waste collection. A revolution that is announced in the University with the aim of involving and motivating students, teachers and staff to help make the university environment sustainable, also thanks to the help of artificial intelligence.
The N0W (Nearly Zero Waste) project was presented today at the Palazzo alla Giorno on the occasion of the signing of the “Sustainable Pisa” memorandum of understanding between the Municipality and the University of Pisa signed by the rector Riccardo Zucchi and the mayor Michele Conti.
At the University of Pisa they explain that «N0W started from an assessment of the anthropic impact of the university population, around 50 thousand people including students and staff. According to a sample estimate, the annual production of waste is around 50 kilos per capita excluding the canteens managed by the DSU, in total there would be over 350 tonnes of multi-material produced, 1000 tonnes of paper and around 1200 tonnes of unsorted waste. To correctly manage separate waste collection and produce less waste in the future, various initiatives will be implemented, starting with communication and training campaigns throughout the University. Among the planned actions there are new vending machines for drinks and snacks with the reduction of packaging and the introduction of compostable material which will be collected as organic fraction, the strengthening of the use of water bottles and water dispensers to reduce mono-plastic use, the establishment of a procedure for organizing “Eco events” in the University, the creation of eco islands functional to separate waste collection”.
Presenting the initiative, Elisa Giuliani, vice-rector of sustainability and the university’s 2030 agenda, said that «We hope to be able to improve separate waste collection by at least 20 percentage points when the N0W, Nearly Zero Waste, project envisages a reorganization of internal processes, new technologies and infrastructures and also new collaborations with external actors such as CONAI and the Municipality of Pisa”.
Zucchi underlined that «The issues of sustainability and the 2030 Agenda are a priority, this requires very close collaboration with the local authorities and in particular with the Municipality. The N0W project will also make use of apps and technology, but the protocol also covers other areas, water management and urban greenery without forgetting the scope of training”.
Conti highlighted that «For a university city like Pisa, which boasts an academic community of almost 50 thousand students, the commitment that the University carries out at the forefront on the issue of environmental sustainability and the 2030 Agenda is of fundamental importance, with activities that concern both the teaching and scientific research fields and the management of student presence in university facilities. Only through strong collaboration between city institutions is it possible to achieve the necessary goals dictated by the 2030 Agenda to improve environmental sustainability. And in this sense we are pleased as an Administration to collaborate with the University in improving separate waste collection, in the work of monitoring and renewing the city’s arboreal heritage, in the project for the creation of Energy Communities in our territory. Virtuous examples of collaboration that must be developed with a common aim of improving the city ecosystem in which we all live.”
Giulia Romano, N0W representative for the University of Pisa, added that «Being sustainable is not simply a trend, but rather an urgent necessity that requires concrete actions. The University of Pisa, with its N0W waste management project, has taken a clear position: it is a strategic choice and a strong signal to the community, not just the academic community. It is a great challenge, but also an enormous opportunity to be a virtuous example of good practices that can also be replicated outside university environments.”
For Luca Piatto of CONAI, N0W is «An initiative that not only raises awareness of the protection of the planet’s resources among those who live in university spaces every day but which also represents a concrete action for improving the quality of collection. In fact, it is increasingly important that waste separation is done carefully: large quantities are of little use if collected carelessly and with many errors. The Planet asks us to set increasingly ambitious packaging recycling targets, and to achieve them everyone must do their part. The project carried out with the University of Pisa and Contarina is also important from this perspective: separate waste collection is a commitment that requires continuity and which, if done correctly by everyone, can contribute to improving national recycling results every day. And recycling, after all, is always the ultimate goal of separating packaging waste.”
