Pursuing Politecnico campuses sustainability in terms of "Circular Economy" means reducing the production of waste, thus decreasing its environmental impact, following the "reduce-reuse-recycle" approach.
Limiting the production of waste, encouraging the reconditioning and reuse of goods, and managing the proper disposal of waste within the University through specific projects are all initiatives that characterise the activities of this sector.
The myPoliTo Re-bag cases are a project for reusing exhibition materials used at Politecnico in a circular economy perspective. The project is coordinated by the Green Team and the Communication, Culture, and Libraries directorate (CCBI), and with the collaboration of various departments and directions of the University, aspects of graphic and product design, material recovery and selection, and sustainability management have been addressed.
The recovered material is that which is prepared for institutional exhibitions, primarily within the scope of the Biennale Tecnologia (link) (starting from the first edition in 2019 as the Technology Festival), a comprehensive review that offers the community a detailed, inclusive, and accessible reflection on the increasingly important theme of the relationship between technology and society, with a program characterized by a strongly interdisciplinary approach.
Through the use of PVC panels affixed in the 2 main corridors of the Politecnico di Torino, paths were created that, with the use of evocative images and slogans, delved into the topics covered in each year of the Biennale Tecnologia, related to both polytechnic culture and current issues.
The product concept was created by students of the degree course in Design and Communication of the Politecnico di Torino, as part of the project "Un sacco di sport" (link) coordinated by Prof. Cristian Campagnaro, Sara Ceraolo and Riccardo Vicentini, in collaboration with the Costruire Bellezza project (link).
For the realization of the myPoliTo Re-bag cases, more than 250 m2 of PVC banners were recovered, then packaged by the Cingomma workshop, which promotes responsible consumption, offering handcrafted products consistent with the challenges of time and extending the life of materials.
Thanks to the recovery of the display material for making the myPoliTo Re-bags, a saving of 379 kg of CO2 eq. was calculated.
#MyPoliTobottle
Since 2018, new students enrolled at the Politecnico have been given a metal water bottle to reduce the purchase of disposable bottles.
Water Dispensers
In order to limit the use of single-use plastic, water dispensers were installed (both indoors and outdoors) since 2018. In 2023 the fountains dispensed more than 600 000 litres of water, corrisponding to saving around 700 000 single-use plastic bottles.
Find here the location of water dispensers (soon online)
Separate waste disposal islands (plastic packaging, glass and metal, paper, organic waste and undifferentiated waste) are available in the University's common areas. Thanks to the collaboration with the student team EcòPoli, users of the ecological islands are supported by an illustrative panel that provides information on how to dispose of waste correctly.
In addition to the traditional collections, containers can be found for the collection of batteries and plastic caps. For the collection of special waste such as WEEE, in addition to institutional disposal, themed days are periodically organised during which temporary collection points are set up for the disposal of personal materials by members of the polytechnic community.
For all other special waste, special warehouses are set up in accordance with the requirements of the sector regulations.
Find here the location of collection points (soon online)