Cool4City project is about Clean Green City by Smart Waste Management.
The main results of the project are four pilots implemented and analyzed in two regions of Finland – Helsinki Metropolitan area and Mikkeli region, publications describing operational and business models, as well as the final publication describing studying, analyzing and describing municipal (focusing on households) solid waste management systems’ operational models and practicalities in the project region.
Two pilots implemented by municipal waste management organization – Helsinki Region Environmental Services HSY are housing company resident activists information pilot for households on encouraging of biowaste separate collection and pilot on production of concrete elements from side stream of waste-to-energy plan. Pilots implemented in Mikkeli region are development of Kieppi – joint recycling and sorting center operated by municipal waste management organisation Metsäsairila LLC- and Mikkeli Reuse Center/Uutta elämää Group complemented by a survey on Kieppi’s awareness and pilot on regional collection of reusable goods by routing vehicle of Uutta elämää Group.
The Cool4City’s pilots results are assessed to have impact as improved systems on waste management of two municipal waste management organizations of Finland – HSY and Metsäsairila – and raised environmental awareness of citizens in the project pilots regions. Outcomes of the project include increased waste property-specific separate collection, raised awareness of citizens on services of municipal waste management companies on waste sorting stations and collection of reusable goods for further integration into the circular economy value chain.
The role of communication and collaboration as well as visibility activities with the purpose of awareness raising can not be overestimated when we have such a topic as municipal waste and circular economy. Cool4City project collaborated tightly with another SEFRCBC programme projects with the relevant focuses. Cool4City project gathered the main results and achievements into the final publication “Household waste management in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and Mikkeli Region – operational models, practicalities and pilots”, which is available in open access on Green Net Finland’s website. To conclude: using pilots and experiments can help to find new practices to achieve goals related to raising recycling rates of household waste. Cool4City project is also co-author of the publication “Overview of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Finland with practical examples of implementation on regional level”.
