In just six months, Aalborg's innovative multifunctional boxes have had a major impact on waste management and convenience in the municipality.
Since their installation in March, the boxes have facilitated the collection of 1 ton of hazardous waste, with citizen participation growing by 13% each month. Expanding their functionality, the boxes now accept textile waste, distribute specialized waste sorting bags, and even serve as pick-up points for library books in rural areas.
1 ton of hazardous waste collected in boxes after the first 6 months
The multifunctional boxes in the Aalborg case have now been in operation for half a year. The boxes have been well received by the citizens “The citizens have used the boxes very well and we have added more as we experienced an increasing need. Today there are 48 parcel boxes in Aalborg and Nørresundby.” Says Anna Aaen, Alderman of Climate and Environment, Aalborg Municipality.
Since the boxes were set up in March, a total of 1 ton of hazardous waste has been collected in the boxes. At the same time the usage of the boxes has increased by 13% each month. This summer it became possible to hand over textile waste in the boxes. In three months, 200 kilos of textile waste have been collected in the boxes.
New options for services are constantly being developed and tested in the boxes in Aalborg.
Bags for waste sorting is now available in the multifunctional boxes in Aalborg
It is now possible for the citizens of Aalborg to collect bags for food waste and residual waste in the multifunctional boxes.
The waste sorting system in Aalborg scans and sorts the waste based on the colors of the bags. It is therefore very important that citizens only use these specific bags from the waste company. By using the boxes for handing out the bags, it is easy for citizens to pick up bags as needed.
In this way, citizens also avoid using space in their homes to store many bags at a time.
Order books from the library and collect them in the multifunctional boxes in Aalborg
It is now possible for citizens in rural areas of Aalborg Municipality to borrow books from the library and return them to a multifunctional box near their home. Three boxes are located in smaller towns outside Aalborg, all of them towns without a library. This new service makes it easier for citizens to borrow books without having to travel to a town with a library. The multifunctional boxes make it possible to pick up the books when it is convenient for the citizens in their everyday lives.
Thinking outside the box in Aalborg
In Aalborg, students developed new and creative ideas for using the multifunctional boxes. For three days eight students from University Colleges North Jutland worked on the MoLo Hubs Aalborg case. How can the boxes be used, and which services can be added and tested? That was the questions. The students came up with many exciting ideas such as:
- using the boxes for renting bicycle helmets for scooter users
- renting tools
- storing keys for shared cars
- the possibility of sharing things between citizens
The ideas were creatively presented in constructed mini-models for the partners from Aalborg Municipality and Homerunner.
“It is always exciting and very valuable to have new eyes on the product. We can certainly use their ideas and suggestions in the further development.” Martin Quintero Hansen, Project Manager, says.
Source & Pictures: Municipality of Aalborg