The County Council of El Gironès (Consell Comarcal del Gironès) has implemented a user-identification collection system in 17 municipalities that combines different models and serves 42,500 inhabitants. This project has made El Gironès a benchmark thanks to its improvement in terms of results and the implementation of a pay-as-you-throw system in the county.
technology implemented
User database creation, maintenance and management
Implementation and standardisation of protocols for the creation and maintenance of independent databases per municipality and waste producer based on the collection model, guaranteeing data integrity and updating via the W·LINK app.
User identification through individual waste collection and access control
- Readings of individual waste disposal items using on-board and mobile devices
- ID-LOCK user-identification systems for waste collection from homes in rural and sparsely populated areas.
Two-way communication with users
Integration of the W·CITY citizen app with information about participation, billing, the communication system with the service operators and incident traceability.
Fee calculation by means of a pay-as-you-throw system
Establishment of a fee calculation model based on participation and waste production data, personalised for each municipality.
challenges
Coexistence of four waste collection models: high-frequency door-to-door collection, low-frequency door-to-door collection, user-identification container sites in sparsely populated areas, and commercial waste collection including the possibility to request additional pick-ups.
High complexity in the control and analysis of participation on account of the different range of models and the need for a by-municipality analysis.
Need to ensure that readings permit the implementation of pay-as-you-throw.
Need for a multidisciplinary team of experts to minimise risks and to respond to contingencies and specific needs.
SUCCESS FACTORS
Committed involvement of the county authorities across the board – Department of the Environment, Economic Management, Management, etc.- and municipal decision-makers.
Flexible waste collection contract that allows new municipalities to opt into the system.
Optimal resource allocation for permanent monitoring and customer service.
Definition of all the protocols related to the technology project before the change of model.
RESULTS
87% separate collection
10% reduction in waste produced
100% of household and commercial users have opted into the pay-as-you-participate system
OTHER DATA OF INTEREST
The project was selected by the Agencia de Residuos de Catalunya [Waste Agency of Catalonia] as a Public Innovation Purchase pilot project with a total subsidy of €300,000.
organisations involved
The project’s success is also thanks to the collaboration of:
