In the context of circular economy and sustainable waste management, Politecnico di Milano launched the ZEROZEROTONER project in May 2020, which involves the management of all types of printing consumables generated by the university’s devices such as printers, multifunction devices, photocopiers, and plotters.
The service is structured as a maintenance contract that the Politecnico has entrusted by signing a specific subscription, and it includes not only the management of the materials but also the supply and management of containers (ecoboxes) for collecting the material itself.
There are 8 points dedicated to collecting consumables, one for each production campus, where a total of 47 ecoboxes have been placed: 39 in Città Studi, 5 in Bovisa, and 3 at the Lecco Territorial Hub. Based on annual production, a collection frequency has been defined for each location, estimating a total annual production of 128 containers.
The project represents a concrete example of circular economy: the collected material undergoes a treatment that allows for the separation of secondary raw materials (such as powders, plastics, iron, aluminum, etc.) which are reintroduced into the secondary production market, ensuring total waste recovery.
Furthermore, the service includes an agreement with PRINT RELEAF for planetary reforestation based on the number of containers managed during the subscription period.
Thanks to the partnership between BERG PHI and PRINT RELEAF, Politecnico di Milano, as a ZEROZEROTONER client, is credited with the planting of a tree for each ecobox included in the subscription and actually collected during the contract year.
In 2021, the Polytechnic managed all the containers as per contract during the considered period, totaling 128. As a result, the same number of trees were planted in the Dominican Republic. In 2022, 114 boxes were collected, amounting to a total of 1,505 kg of recovered material (iron, aluminum, plastic, dust).
The certificates obtained for the participation of Politecnico di Milano.
Year 2021: 128 trees planted in the Dominican Republic
Year 2022: 114 trees planted in Mexico
Year 2023: 136 trees in Tanzania