The Aragon Institute of Technology (ITAINNOVA) was the venue for the third general meeting of the “REgional Hub for Circularity: Demonstration Of Local Industrial-Urban Symbiosis Initiatives” (REDOL) project on January 24 and 25. As you are aware, our primary focus is on the revaluation of five key urban waste chains in Zaragoza to minimize the percentage of waste produced in the city.
REDOL promotes the circular economy in cities by redesigning five value chains for solid urban waste (SUW) and implementing new solutions for collecting, classifying, and processing materials to avoid landfills.
During this meeting held at ITAINNOVA headquarters, 75 members from the 34 organizations forming the consortium gathered to share the main advancements achieved during the project’s first year. On the first day of the meeting, we presented the outcomes and next steps up to the present moment. On the second day, we conducted value chain workshops (always inspiring to have all members of one value chain in one room and discussing real needs!), followed by an interactive Dissemination and Exploitation workshop led by Luz Salas (Strane) and Francesca Monaco (GEONARDO).
Dissemination and Exploitation Workshop
To make this precious time together even more valuable, ITAINNOVA and CIRCE organized some very interesting visits to ITAINNOVA’s premises and CTRUZ, Aragon’s main waste management centre.
This meeting marked a milestone in REDOL’s lifetime, as it marked the end of its first year. During this period, partners finalized initial information collection. Up to now, they focused on mapping the main sources of waste from the five value chains that are the core of our studies (plastics, packaging, textiles, construction and demolition waste, and electric and electronic waste), together with collection methods, their origin, and composition.
Subsequently, using this information, various methods of classification, separation, and processing will be evaluated using various techniques to obtain new recycled raw materials. Ultimately, this project aims to give value to this recycled secondary raw material in a new circular product.
The project will also develop guidelines and recommendations for major decision-making bodies and aims to improve citizens’ perception of solid urban waste as a local resource and recycled products, thereby increasing their participation in separate collection schemes. At the project’s conclusion, the urban-industrial symbiosis developed in Zaragoza will also be replicated in Amsterdam, Prato in Italy, and Bornholm in Denmark.
REDOL partners include:
CIRCE, AITIIP, AITEX, ICCS, ITENE, ITA, University of Zaragoza, Next technology, Lulea University, VDZ, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions, Tatuine, Casalé, IRIS, Moses, Brilen, Suite5, Tecnopackaging, Strane, Geonardo, RINA Consulting, Acteco, AMB Electronica, SAICA, Acciona, CEMEX, Financiera Maderera, ICLEI, EEIP, City Council of Zaragoza, Prato City Hall, ALIA, Bornholm City Hall, HUSA, CEMEX.
