New containers for small electrical and electronic waste

The collection is now possible at the Politecnico thanks to a new agreement

The project for the collection of small Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and batteries at the Politecnico di Milano has been presented. It is the result of an agreement with the WEEE Coordination Center, the National Coordination Center for Batteries and Accumulators, Amsa and the Municipality of Milan.

In the various locations of the Politecnico it is possible to find 39 new containers where not only the Politecnico community, but all citizens, will be able to throw away the small WEEE waste of the R4 category. These are, for example, headphones, smartphones, electronic cigarettes, calculators, spent batteries and accumulators, such as stylus batteries, button batteries, laptop lithium batteries.

The collected material is taken to certified treatment plants to recover secondary raw materials (i.e. those that derive from recycling, regeneration or transformation of existing products) which are then reintroduced into new production cycles.

But how did the design of these containers come about? From the curricular workshop "RAEECYCLE BINS" promoted by the Politecnico di Milano in collaboration with the WEEE Coordination Center and Raffaella Mangiarotti. The winning concept was "T45", designed by Elisa Barca, Chiara Guarino, Cristiana Petrovan and Sabia Romagnoli for the collection of WEEE in highly trafficked transit places such as the subway. The design evolution that brought it to its current form was curated by Veronica D'Arrico, Scila Melita Ficarelli, Fabrizio Longoni, Federica Porta, Mario Scotti, A.U.ESSE, Venanzio Arquilla, Barbara Del Curto and Simonetta Cota.