Mission
“Nobody wonders where, each day, they carry their load of refuse. Outside the city, surely; but each year the city expands, and the street cleaners have to fall farther back. The bulk of the outflow increases and the piles rise higher, become stratified, extend over a wider perimeter”
Leonia, in ‘Invisible Cities’ by Italo Calvino, trans. William Weaver
The MatER Study Center, part of the Politecnico di Milano, aims to serve as an authoritative reference point for scientific research into the identification of technical solutions for waste prevention and recovery.
MatER’s main purpose is to help identify the most effective choices for sustainable waste management, through a rigorous and reliable representation of issues, solutions and impacts associated with the application of technologies and policies for the recovery of materials and energy from waste. MatER’s view is science-based and independent from vested interests.
The MatER mission is activated through:
- identification of possible techniques for efficient waste prevention;
- identification and analysis of the best available technologies for the recovery of materials and energy from waste;
- activation of a process of networking and cooperation between academic institutions, public and private organizations, businesses and other actors and stakeholders involved in the waste supply chain;
- promotion of studies and research on issues related to the recovery of materials and energy from waste;
- promotion of studies and research on issues concerning the relationships between science, politics, media and society as regards waste management;
- organization of courses and events (conferences, seminars, study days) to promote and disseminate awareness and scientific information about materials and energy recovery from waste;
- monitoring the evolution of processes, technologies and activities related to the recovery of materials and energy from waste;
- revision and improvement of legislation on waste management, recovery and treatment.
