Urban Mining II: development of business models through implementation of pilot projects

Important results from the project

The objective of the project has been to develop knowledge regarding when, where and how recycling could become part of the management of subsurface city infrastructure. In doing so, we have identified multifaceted needs for change both in practice and policy, developed knowledge and methods that could support such organizational and industrial transformations and pin-pointed key motives, opportunities and challenges influencing the implementation of these changes and routes of transformation.

Expected long term effects

The research has dealt with issues ranging from the resource potential of subsurface infrastructure and conditions for recycling to needs for change in practice and policy. In essence, increased recycling relies on political decisions and coordinated measures on different societal levels, from priority-settings of resource and environmental policy targets to interventions of the agreements that determine current practices for system owners, recyclers and municipalities. An extended collaboration between these actors based on value-creation and mutual benefits is key.

Approach and implementation

The realization of the project has involved several different studies: (1) mapping of subsurface city infrastructure to dimension their metal resource potential and facilitate recycling projects, (2) pilot projects in which recycling in relation to renewal of infrastructure has been tested in practice, (3) assessments of economic and environmental conditions for recycling given different technologies and settings, and (4) stakeholder assessments displaying how current regulations, agreements and practices need to change in order to facilitate recycling.