WASTE NARRATIVE

Module ID260 Data Driven Design II Authors Mélanie Turano, Chiara Baldini, Oleksandra Drapushko, Andrii Ioffe, Lynn Germiquet 2026

Lecturers

Antonella Autuori, Ginevra Terenghi

Assistants

Luca Draisci

This project investigates the urban and social friction caused by the 2021 implementation of the Sacco Rosso (taxed red trash bags) in Lugano, Switzerland. By analysing the intersection of official municipal policy, news media narratives, and the everyday reality of Lugano’s residents, the research explores how top-down waste management policies are actually lived and navigated on the ground. The core focus is on utilizing citizen-generated data to uncover the hidden behaviors, unspoken rules, and creative workarounds that emerge when public policy meets private household economics.