project overview
Italian - ItalyEnglish (United Kingdom)


Objective
The aim of this project is to make people aware of the increasing amount of rubbish we throw away and choices for its disposal. How many times have we thought to ourselves “What a pity to throw this away!”. It just shows how often people throw away items which can still be used. RCA wants to change our attitude towards these objects and offer them a second life: if we throw away something “with love”, then someone else may “love it again”. What has become useless to someone, can become useful to someone else.
RCA enables the public to think twice before getting rid of unnecessary belongings and points out the importance of “wasting” in a critical and conscious way.


RCA Dustbin
The project is implemented through the RCA dustbin system.
Provided with transparent sliding doors and separate compartments, the RCA dustbin allows you to store all objects which have been “wasted with love”. The dustbin can be compared to a shop window creating a link between what is inside and outside of it: instead of “throwing” and “ransacking” you can just “leave” an item and “choose” another one in exchange.
Formerly seen as a place where rubbish is stored, the dustbin becomes a place of “exchange”.
RCA dustbins can be found along the streets or in public spaces (libraries, schools, meeting centres, etc..)
RCA dustbin is a public wardrobe at all the citizens’ disposal.


How it works
RCA awakens public opinion to a new habit: Wasting with love. It is necessary to adapt communication on this project to the specific needs of the public, in order to show how the dustbin must be used and its function in the most efficient way.
A lot of information will be published and both public authorities and municipalities will work hand in hand with RCA people on the smooth running of the project.


Ecological Impact
Waste with love and loving again mean:
-    to reduce the quantity of waste heading to incineration or to the dump
-    to prolong the life cycle of an item for a more sustainable use of the resources
-    to put used items back on the market and avoid the exploitation of raw materials for the production of new ones.


By encouraging all citizens to recycle, RCA works following the rule of the 4 R: (1997 Decreto Ronchi http://www.parlamento.it/leggi/deleghe/97022dl.htm)
1.    Reduction of the quantity of the products wasted
2.    Use second-hand material
3.    Recycle used materials
4.    Recycle waste as a new source of energy

RCA is a concrete answer to the needs of several municipalities to find a solution for environmental problems. Waste with love and loving back are “good practices”, important habits within all those communities that want to create a more ecological and sustainable society.


Credits Peranera & AkiraTec