A Door-to-Door Waste Collection System Case Study: A Survey on its Sustainability and Effectiveness

Nicola Laurieri, Andrea Lucchese, Antonella Marino and Salvatore Digiesi
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Nicola Laurieri: Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management, Polytechnic University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy
Andrea Lucchese: Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management, Polytechnic University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy
Antonella Marino: Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management, Polytechnic University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy
Salvatore Digiesi: Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management, Polytechnic University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 14, 1-23

Abstract: Municipal waste management is a relevant topic these days, in its relation to sustainable and environmental concerns. Sorting waste fractions at home for a door-to-door collection system proves to positively affect the environmental impacts of waste management strategies both by reducing the amounts of the waste landfilled and by originating new circular economies. However, the environmental impact caused by both waste collection and transport, together with waste quality, should be carefully evaluated to assess the sustainability of such a collection system. In order to evaluate the logistic and environmental effectiveness of a newly implemented door-to-door collection system in Altamura, a mid-sized town in Southern Italy, a survey was designed and submitted to a sample of citizens. The results obtained from the 385 completed surveys show that the door-to-door collection of glass waste is inefficient since most of the designated bins remain partially filled and less frequently delivered; citizens are more motivated to adequately collect sorted waste fractions upon receiving information about the subsequent environmental benefits and outcomes of the fractions collected; a high percentage of people still use disposable items in their daily life. Possible changes to the weekly bins collection schedule have been proposed in order to have a more proficient and environmentally sustainable waste collection service in the town. The survey is part of a project aiming at developing a smart device to support users in home waste management.

Keywords: waste management; circular economy; door-to-door collection system; survey; contingency tables (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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