Pilot test with impact
In a pilot project in 2021, 3 different Recycling room were connected and data collection started.
During the first data reviews, it was found that there was great potential for improvement in several areas, and that these pilot rooms probably had a Swedish record in dimensioning for residual waste.
In connection with the pilot, the technical administration in Mölndal began to take action against inadequate sorting in multi-family housing by turning one of its most important knobs: the waste tariff.
A progressive and unique tariff model was approved by the city council, with the consequence that it finally became economically viable for a housing company to invest in waste management. The effect was immediate.
Pilot trial becomes larger test bed
Qualitative data from the pilot trials results in a decision to expand the trial, and in 2022 around 40 Recycling room will be connected and data collection will begin.
In housing companies and waste management, project groups are formed, where dedicated resources (SoperStars, japp Göteborgshumor also in Mölndal) work to improve waste management in the connected environment rooms. The purpose of this is not only to make sorting work better in the connected "smart environmental rooms", but above all to use data to understand waste management more generally. What works and what doesn't, what has a high impact and what interventions don't have a high impact? How to create a Best Practice for waste management in Recycling room?
Mölndalsbostäder's Sustainability Strategist, and project manager for SoperStars, Charlotta Brolin says the following:
"Compared to other housing companies, our tenants have a significantly higher amount of residual waste. With the help of sensors in the bins, we can optimize our Recycling room at the same time as we see the effect of the measures we take to increase recycling among our tenants."
Results - a selection
After just over a year, the following observations can be made:
- 1.000.000SEK in annual savings for the housing company, already after the first year.
- In 2023, a handful of interventions have been tested, with the most effective producing over 20% less residual waste and the least effective producing very little impact.
- In 2024, the work will continue, scaling up successful interventions and testing and evaluating new ones.
- The initiative was named one of the best climate initiatives of the year 2023 by Allmännyttan.
Great commitment to the work of both waste management companies and housing companies, where data collection and its insights help the companies to understand residual waste prevention and how to work towards common goals.
In the City of Mölndal's press release linked to this initiative, the city's sustainability strategist Andreas Svendsen makes the following statement:
"Using digitalization to understand Waste volume (or weight) feels very interesting. We will get data that allows us to increasingly see what affects the amount of combustible residual waste and how we can influence residents, real estate companies and even ourselves through various activities and thus reduce the amount of residual waste and at the same time increase the sorting of Food waste and packaging. It would provide a cheaper waste management in the future and everyone wins compared to continuing as we do today."
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