Reducing Volume to Increase Capacity—Measures to Reduce Transport Energy for Recyclable Waste Collection

Abstract

The production of municipal waste is increasing all over the world. Although a significant part of the waste is collected as commingled waste, much of it is recyclable if disposed of properly. Thus, separate deposition and collection plays an extremely important role today, more than ever, not only in terms of preventing pollution but also from the point of view of recycling as a driver of circular economy and of efficient use of resources. This work is focused on the development of compaction equipment to be applied to containers, which allows a more efficient approach to the process of collecting waste for recycling. As a management option, recycling depends on collective behavior which is based on individual acts. Therefore, individual use of plastic/metal compaction systems can help meet recycling targets, even as a complement to conventional bins. Thus, herein a proposal is presented for a plastic/metal collection station with a built-in compaction element that allows for the compacting of the separated waste, individually, in an easily accessible drawer. Sorting and compacting waste before collection will result in a reduction of the number of collection/transport stops, which will also translate into higher energy efficiency, cost savings, optimization of the transported tons/km ratio, and profitability.

Municipal Waste Management in Polish Cities—Is It Really Smart?

“…This chapter presents a literature study that forms a basis for identifying the research gap and defining the thematic scope of the research conducted. Two main themes are presented: (1) The Smart City concept and (2) Current areas of analysis of waste management in smart cities.…”

“…Waste management is currently a highly analyzed and discussed topic [1][2][3][4][5]. This is because economic, civilizational and social development generates not only better living conditions, but also many adverse side effects.…”