A Master’s Course Can Emphasize Circular Economy in Municipal Solid Waste Management: Evidence from the University of Pisa

Claudia Pisuttu, Francesca Adducci, Sofia Arena, Daniela Bigongiali, Liliangela Callea, Paolo Carmignani, Alessio Cavicchi, Mariagrazia Chianura, Luisa Ciulli, Marianna Contaldo, Lorenzo Cotrozzi (), Claudia D’Alessandro, Annapia Ferrara, Ivan Fiaccadori, Besmira Gajda, Chiara Guarnieri, Marco Landi, Luca Lanini, Rocco Roberto Lomuto, Daniela Lucente, Cristina Lugli, Francesca Maffei, Francesca Marconi, Silvia Micale, Chiara Mignani, Cristina Nali, Elisa Pellegrini, Vito Scarongella, Sabrina Tomasi, Carolina Vatteroni and Giacomo Lorenzini
Additional contact information
Claudia Pisuttu: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Francesca Adducci: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Sofia Arena: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Daniela Bigongiali: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Liliangela Callea: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Paolo Carmignani: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Mariagrazia Chianura: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Luisa Ciulli: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Marianna Contaldo: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Lorenzo Cotrozzi: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Claudia D’Alessandro: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Annapia Ferrara: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Ivan Fiaccadori: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Besmira Gajda: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Chiara Guarnieri: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Marco Landi: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Luca Lanini: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Rocco Roberto Lomuto: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Daniela Lucente: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Cristina Lugli: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Francesca Maffei: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Francesca Marconi: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Silvia Micale: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Chiara Mignani: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Cristina Nali: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Elisa Pellegrini: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Vito Scarongella: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Sabrina Tomasi: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Carolina Vatteroni: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Giacomo Lorenzini: Master Course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, c/o Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 5, 1-17

Abstract: Municipal solid waste (MSW) represents a significant global threat, which has to be managed by a model of production and consumption involving the sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling of existing materials and products for as long as possible, otherwise known as a circular economy (CE). However, there is not a universal rule for waste recycling strategies, and it has been demonstrated that active public participation is crucial in the satisfactory management of waste. In this context, citizen participation and education are two interrelated approaches, which can help to engage and inform people regarding waste and its wider impact. The present study describes the development of an interdisciplinary hackathon (hackathons are events whereby individuals from different backgrounds are brought together to work on the solutions to different problems), targeted to students of a postgraduate Master’s course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change in order to develop and understand the MSW problems and priorities currently being targeted, with the aim to propose new potential solutions for MSW reduction, reuse, and recycling. Following an empirical approach, four working groups were established and assigned the following specific tasks: (i) communication/citizen education on MSW; (ii) the reduction of MSW production; (iii) innovative solutions to recover and enhance secondary raw materials deriving from MSW processing; and (iv) the eco-design of the cities of the future concerning CE principles applied to MSW recycling. Overall, the following main findings were derived from the hackathon event: (i) an essential objective of the CE strategy is to drive Europe’s internal market towards the production and consumption of more sustainable products, thus reducing environmental and social pressures, while still retaining value; (ii) the most effective ways of tackling environmental problems are to ‘change the way we consume’, as well as to ‘change the way we produce and trade’, with the responsibility shared between businesses, governments, and the EU, as well as the citizens themselves. In this scenario, research and innovation play a key role in driving the necessary systemic changes to reach climate neutrality and ensure an inclusive ecological and economic transition. Overall, the present study confirms how the hackathon represents an effective tool to engage citizens in participation and education.

Keywords: environmental education; hackathon; master’s course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change; plastic packaging; the University of Pisa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
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