The project, promoted by Sartori Ambiente and the municipal company ABC Latina, with the support of the Junker app and the design input of researcher Federica Stablum, aimed to understand how residents were experiencing the introduction of a new system—door-to-door waste collection—with its impact on their daily habits, and to engage them as much as possible, encouraging adoption of the new model. The suggested approach is an application of the “nudge” principle: citizens are offered information, guidance, and rewards, rather than being forced or threatened with fines.
The first step was to analyze citizens’ needs: a survey was launched for residents of the Pontine capital, highlighting their role in urban waste management. The survey was administered through the media, official websites, and the Junker app. More than 700 residents responded, expressing interest and a willingness to express their opinions on waste sorting and management.
What emerges from the survey?
Residents in the new-regime (door-to-door) areas represent over 90% of respondents, which is understandable given the recent changes in their habits.
Among the most pressing issues among users are the frequency of the collection schedule (363 responses), ease of communication with the manager (357), and control of waste disposal (296).
Furthermore, they declare that they have separated (according to their perception) 75% of their waste. Only 12% of citizens compost, mostly using a compost bin.
Of the remaining 88%, more than half (60%) would like more frequent organic waste collection.
When asked what they think would be useful to improve their separate waste collection, a full 30% of participants responded that “Receiving feedback on how I separate waste” would be a useful strategy for them.
The quality rate is 97% for organic and 92% for lightweight packaging.
How to strengthen citizens’ behavior?
To address the demand for feedback on their collection, the “Smiles” system was created. It consists of three different colored stickers that collection operators apply to bins to inform residents of their collection performance. The smiles follow the intuitive traffic light pattern:
GREEN: “Congratulations! Keep it up!”
YELLOW: “Good! But you can improve!”
RED: “Attention! There are many errors!”
The stickers also include a QR code that links to a page explaining the project and the sticker. This way, residents can learn more about why they received a sticker and how to correct any mistakes they made if they received a yellow or red Smile.
The results of the nudge project
A total of 1,223 stickers were issued: 998 green, 184 yellow, and only 41 red. This means that almost 80% of the stickers issued were positive, a definite success. In particular, excellent management of the organic waste and lightweight packaging (plastic and metal) emerged. The quality rate, i.e., the percentage of waste correctly separated, was 97% for organic waste and 92% for lightweight packaging.
The dry residue rating was around 56% quality, meaning that almost half of the waste sent to the dry waste bin could actually be recycled in another way. These measurements have shown that there is considerable room for improvement for users.
The results of the app
At the time of the project (late 2023), over 50,000 users had downloaded the app in Latina, with over 1.5 million app searches. These impressive numbers reflect the intense learning process for residents faced with door-to-door waste collection on the correct methods of waste separation. Residents also actively reported products not yet recognized by the app: more than 4,500! This widespread distribution helped disseminate the survey to citizens and made communication between ABC Latina and utilities more immediate and reliable, contributing to the results achieved by waste separation.
The results of the collection
ABC Latina finally announced the collection results, following the launch of door-to-door collection, meetings with citizens, the nudge project, and ongoing information campaigns via the app.
The starting point is a separate waste collection rate of 35.7% in 2021, equal to 356 kg of unsorted waste per inhabitant. In 2023 (projection), the expected rate is 54.20%, equal to 240 kg per inhabitant. Over the same period, separate waste collection increased from 183 to 255 kg/inhabitant.
Technical aspects
Two neighborhoods in Latina were selected: Q4 and Q5, one experimental and the other a control.
The fractions were selected: plastic and metals (PEM) and organic waste, with the residue added later.
Sartori-Ambiente produced the stickers, supplied the operators with reading devices, and provided the appropriate training.
And off we go! The project lasted 8 weeks, with 43 days of total inspections, and involved 224 users.
