El REDOL European project (2022-2026), financed by the European program Horizon 2020, will implement new solutions for the collection, classification and treatment of urban solid waste to promote the circular economy in Zaragoza.
This project is executed by a consortium made up of 36 entities from 12 countries. Specifically, it seeks to promote the circular economy in cities through the redesign of five value chains for municipal solid waste and the implementation of new solutions for the collection, classification and treatment of materials to prevent their deposit in landfills.
As part of the project, the Itene technology center will carry out the delamination of containers multilayer to recover the main layers of the structure, as well as the separation and the recycling of the recovered fractions.
Despite progress in the recovery of waste, its management continues to be a major challenge to meet the EU objectives for the next decade, which sets a target of 65% recycling by 2035. For this reason, REDOL aims to promote the transition from Zaragoza to a city of zero waste by 2040, recycling 100% of the urban waste produced.
The project aims re-use, value or transform solid urban waste, transforming it into secondary raw materials instead of sending it to landfill, which results in economic savings and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Implemented in Zaragoza, REDOL has the key support of the Zaragoza City Council and multiple industries and research centers active in the waste management, classification and processing of materials and recycling, ecodesign and citizen participation. The project will also develop guidelines and recommendations for the main decision-making bodies and aims to improve citizens' perception of municipal solid waste as a local resource and recycled products, thus increasing their participation in separate collection schemes.
At the end of the project, the urban-industrial symbiosis developed in Zaragoza will also be replicará in Amsterdam (Netherlands), Prato (Italy) and Bornholm (Denmark).
