NAME OF BEST PRACTICE:
T-Recycle
Contact: Primo Podesta (Director)
E-mail:p.podesta@lgh.it
Linea Gestioni – LGH Group Holding
Web: http://www.linea-gestioni.it
Address: Via del Commercio, 29 – 26013 Crema (CR)
Phone: 0373 8971
E-mail: info@linea-gestioni.it
WHERE: Crema, Cremona, Italy
WHEN: April 2018 – present (ongoing)
WASTE MANAGEMENT HIERARCHY: Recycling: Reuse – Reprocessing
TYPE OF INSTRUMENT: Voluntary/promotional
WASTE STREAMS: Municipal waste, Packaging waste
About: Linea Gestioni – LGH Group is an industrial multi-utility that operates in environmental services, in the production, distribution and sale of energy (electricity and gas) and heat and in ICT services.
To increase the efficiency of its fleet of vehicles, to reduce CO2 emissions and to raise public awareness of environmental issues, the company has decided to use T-Recycle, an innovative eco-friendly pedal assisted vehicle that will be used for street sweeping and emptying of baskets in Historic centers. Using these e-bikes in the city historical centre and public parks will reduce the acoustic and the air pollution
T-Recycle
Objectives
• Improvement of collection system of road waste, streets cleaning, sidewalks maintenance in Crema area
• Improving the separate collection system
• Increasing awareness among citizens regarding the importance of environment protection
• Reducing CO2 emissions
• Improving city traffic flow,
• Reducing air and acoustic pollution,
• Encouraging control activities and discouraging unfair and uncivilized behavior
Resources
T- Recycle is a technological solution designed to enhance the road cleaning service:
• is an ecological mean, powered by renewable energy, equipped with a photovoltaic panel and a battery for energy storage
• can move quickly and freely in areas with limited traffic or pedestrian areas
• thanks to the provision – inside has a box of 4 containers for 4 different types of waste, allows greater differentiation of materials collected during the cleaning of roads and sidewalks
• performs an important function of environmental awareness: to further enhance the ecological message of the vehicle, the T-Riciclo has been decorated with the environmental awareness campaign of Linea Gestioni “Would you do it at home?” to discourage disrespectful behaviour regarding environment and urban decorum.
Material resources: 2 T-recycles
Human resources: 2 waste collectors/Linea Gestioni employees
Results
Crema has reached a percentage of separate waste collection of 74% thanks to use of increasingly innovative waste collection systems.
Although the project has just begun for few months and we don’t have concrete statistics Linea Gestioni aim is to further increase the efficiency of this system and the cleaning service, with the contribution of T-recycle. Cargo bikes represent a great solution for many other activities, from street food to artisans and courier services and they begin to become very popular among organizations in Europe and not only.
Urban metabolism relevance
According to the report on the air quality of Legambiente 2018, the city of Cremona has exceeded the threshold of pollution from fine particles (PM10) and ozone 178 times, Cremona is in first place of the worst: 105 days/year for dust thin and 73 days/year for ozone. This means that the citizens of Cremona have breathed toxic and harmful powders and gases one day in two. A situation that results in health problems, costs for the health system and has significant impacts on ecosystems. Citing the European Environmental Agency in Italy, there are over 60,000 premature deaths due to pollution. It is estimated that in 2010 the health-related costs for air pollution were between 47 and 142 billion euro.
Linea Gestioni wants to contribute to air quality improvement and at the same time to promote the sustainable mobility with its small action in the city of Cremona and to support the Local Administration in its persuasion activities to use bicycles. T-recycling is a sustainable mean that use renewable energy, contributes to reduction of energy consumption, air and acoustic pollution, reduction of transports costs and that will immediately guarantee an improvement of the sweeping service, especially in pedestrian areas or limited traffic, briefly helps improving urban metabolism of cities.
Engaged participatory processes
Even if the project represents a result of a company’s decision to improve its environmental services for local admninistrations, this activity indirectly attracts many stakeholders from the local community (citizens, local authorities, other organizations, tourists, etc.) suggesting them to get involved more in sustaining environment protection through important environmental messages placed on T-Recycle cargo bikes, the attractive design and by moving easily through the city and attracts the attention very quickly.
T-Recycle has a very important informational function: the vehicle is customized according to the awareness campaigns promoted, for example on the correct use of road bins, for counter the dispersion of cigarette butts into the environment and the abandonment of waste in the street etc
Operators, in addition to ensuring greater cleanliness, are a direct thread of the city with the company: they can collect reports of any problems and become a reference point for citizens.
“Linea Gestioni, in pursuing its ‘green’, ‘ eco-sustainable’ philosophy, is constantly striving to have an increasingly environmentally friendly fleet, replacing its vehicles with electric vehicles and Euro6 and integrating it with innovative technologies like bi-tank vehicles, for the simultaneous collection of different types of waste, thus limiting the circulation of lorries and the display of sacks and bins on the street and the “T-Recycle” used for street sweeping and emptying of baskets in the historic city center, in pedestrian areas, limited traffic areas , in the parks and gardens.
LG has not only the mission to increase separate waste collection, now at a rate of 74% in almost all municipalities where it manages the collection, but also the constant attention to the environment, civic sensitivity involving administrators and citizens to improve the quality of service and quality of life of citizens, who can use also an App in order to report anomalous situations. “Reduce, Respect, Recycle” the LG’s slogan to raise awareness of the population in terms of waste.” (Primo Podesta, Director at LGH Group Holding)
Innovation
Powered by solar panels (placed on the roof), with instant recharging of batteries and emergency battery, T-Recycle is an innovative and eco-friendly tool for collecting waste in Urban areas and is ideal for engine powered vehicles restricted access areas. T-Recycle can be equipped with 4 units of 120 liters bins and one compacting tool into its capacious dumpster, with specific tools for real-time monitoring of the residual collection capacity. Technologically versatile and multi-functional, T-Recycle contributes to drastically reducing energy consumption, thanks to the use of its on-board solar panels. It can move freely within traffic restricted areas, as well as pedestrian areas.
Even the environment benefits of it, with a sensible acoustic pollution reduction and zero emissions in the atmosphere.
Sustainability and replicability
T-Recycle is a cargo bike with pedal assist system product by EAS Spa, an Italian company and it’ s a Eco tool for collecting waste than can be easily replicated. In fact the system is implemented in other cities from Italy. Waste collection with T-Recycle cargo bikes represents a sustainable alternative to the existing vehicles much more polluting and expensive
Success Factors
• zero emissions
• zero environmental impact
• ideal for: general waste collection, animal defecation, cigarette butts, manhole cleaning
• photovoltaic powering: solar panels on the roof, instant recharging of the batteries, emergency battery
• T-Recycle can move freely within traffic restricted area, as well as pedestrian areas
UrbanWINS
Waste, Resources, Innovation.
Key Challenges
- To increase citizens awareness regarding proper separate collection and responsible behavior towards the environment
Info
For more information, please check the deliverable, or contact the implementing body.
Click on the green icon on the left side of the page to print and download this Best Practice as PDF.