Domestic waste management: A survey for the design of an innovative compactor

Integrated waste management requires considerable resources in terms of both materials and energy, thereby constituting a significant item of expenditure for local administrations. Thus, the correct management and disposal of home waste imperatively pursue innovative strategic objectives to reduce the environmental impact. European policies aim at reducing the overall impact of domestic waste on environment and public health by promoting an efficient use of the resources and reducing the quantities of the unsorted waste produced. Encouraging the reuse of recyclable fractions as resources, increasing the levels of separated waste fractions, and implementing a safer waste disposal system are crucial goals nowadays. Moreover, the active involvement of citizens through information, accountability and rewarding approaches has generally shown to increase the amounts and the quality of recyclable fractions. The aim of this study is to develop an innovative system to help users optimize domestic waste management. A survey has been designed and submitted to citizens of a Town in the South Italy in order to investigate their habits and behaviours in managing home waste as well as the difficulties and wished supports to appropriately separate waste fractions. Nonparametric analyses have been carried out on the 385 answers received, and the outcomes of the survey analysis are presented in this paper. They have been adopted in the design of an innovative home waste compactor device. The compaction of paper, plastic, and metal fractions and sealing of organic waste are suited by the interviewed to improve the management of separated waste fractions. The steady municipal implementation of such a system will allow the reduction of both the logistic and economic expenditures required for waste collection and the disposable quantities of unsorted waste.