The URBANREC app is especially devoted to bulky waste reduction and recycling. This app fills the gap between the re-use center, inhabitants, and IMOG.
A lot of bulky waste items, such as furniture, carpets, mattresses etc. are brought to the city amenity site and becoming waste, while still re-useable. IMOG developed in cooperation with the re-use centre a mobile app that fills the gap between the re-use center, citizens, and IMOG (waste collection organization). The aim is to increase the re-use and recycling of bulky items, by educating citizens about the problem, helping them to recognize the best way for the bulky item that they want to get rid of and to link them to the services of the re-use center and IMOG in an easy accessible way. Within the URBANREC app the citizens find tips and tricks about re-use and recycling, a price calculation model, and can easily make reservations on demand, request the dismantling service and other services from the re-use center or IMOG.
IMOG is the inter-municipal waste collection and treatment organization of 11 municipalities in the region of South-West-Flanders. The re-use centers are partly financed by the IMOG and the municipalities. Both organizations and the 11 municipalities work closely together for increasing re-use and recycling of bulky waste.
In the coming years, IMOG will continue to promote the app, stimulating the citizens to use the price calculation model and the instant-request function for the pick-up- or dismantling service of re-usable or recyclable bulky items. Furthermore, targeted notifications will be send to the app-users for special activities.
Resources needed
About 6 months of development: €15.000 external services for development, hosting and licenses to run the app.
The URBANREC project provided 100% funding
Evidence of success
The URBANREC app has currently 370 active users in the region of South-West-Flanders after 1 year of implementation. A survey among the population of the IMOG region revealed a high satisfaction rate of app users.
Potential for learning or transfer
The app contains
- clear and detailed information for plenty different bulky waste fractions about how to recognize whether the bulky item is re-usable or recyclable and what to do with the bulky item/ where to bring it
- an easily accessible tool for requesting the pick-up- or dismantling service
- the possibility to send targeted notifications (if the user is willing to receive them)
The app is developed in such a way that it is easily transferable to and adaptable for other municipalities. The source code is available from IMOG.
Tags: Management, Mobility, Digital
