Skräp är bara skräp om du skräpar ned : En fallstudie om att skapa ett användarvänligt avfallssystem och att kommunicera avfallsminimering och återvinning i Ebbepark, Linköping

Sammanfattning: Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. However, today’s use of resources is higher than what earth can sustain and therefore the linear economy, where resources become waste right after usage, needs to evolve into a more circular one, an economy that uses and reuses resources in a more efficient way. To enable a development into a more circular economy, it’s important to design products that can be repaired, reused and recycled. Both the steps before and after waste arise are of importance. In upstream management the focus is on design and manufacturing of products and in downstream management the focus is on waste management methods. This master thesis studies the future urban district, Ebbepark, which is under development in Linköping, Sweden. The thesis studies the role of communication, design and visualization to minimize the environmental impact from waste management in an urban area with a mix of housing and offices. It is studied how the waste system can be designed to facilitate for its users to make the right decisions and how to reach out with messages and information about waste and consumption. The focus of the work lies on finding strategies to develop the waste management according to the waste hierarchy introduced by the European Union. A literature review was conducted laying the ground for the study. Interviews were held with people with knowledge and experience of waste management. A web survey was done with office workers in Linköping to find out their experiences regarding the waste system and consumption in the office environment and at home. Psychology and behavioral economics were studied to ascertain how human behavior can be altered. Important factors when it comes to waste are ease and information. To be able to leave your waste close to home is important and many would appreciate if recycling bins were included in their homes, which the housing enterprises should consider. In a densified district, lack of space is extra obvious and space for waste is seldom prioritized. According to Swedish law, commercial and domestic waste need to be treated separately, which means that a lot of space is required in Ebbepark to handle waste from households and offices. A great part of the commercial waste can however be thrown away at the same places as the domestic waste in Ebbepark. With services collecting office paper, a proposed collaboration regarding packaging material and access to the pneumatic waste system, only 1-4 % of the office waste remains and must be treated separately. The social impact people feel can be used in the waste system to improve human behavior. Collection sites that for example are light and open and located at places where people move, contribute to the social norm and increase the feeling of safety. The system information should be simple and straightforward and pictures and colour coordination can facilitate. At the same time people must have the right conditions to make sustainable choices. Strategies should be built on peoples experienced obstacles and advantages. Information and communication should be designed after their conditions and nudge them in the right direction. The housing enterprises have a responsibility to make sure there is a range of services that prevent waste and reuse products. Plastic is a material with great environmental impact in downstream management, partly because of the release of fossil carbon dioxide when incinerated, why actions to reduce the use of plastic material and increase the recycling is needed. Future studies should investigate how larger lifestyle changes can be achieved and how the municipal waste monopoly and the producer responsibility should be designed in the future to favor circular solutions.