Instead of transporting waste to the plant, a "truck-mounted plant" reaches it directly

What if large volumes of waste no longer needed a long journey to a recycling plant, but the plant came to them? This is the idea behind the Italian “YouRban” project, as reported by Italian media: a mobile system mounted on a truck, designed to process composite materials directly at the site where the waste is generated, particularly fiberglass used in items such as building panels, automotive components, sports equipment, and even wind turbine blades.

Led by the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano in collaboration with European partners, the project transforms the truck into a mobile workshop equipped with stages for processing, sorting, and reconditioning materials, instead of transporting large volumes to distant facilities.

During trials in Milan and Barcelona, and a smaller-scale phase in Vienna, the recovered materials were also used to manufacture prototypes of urban furniture and other new products, aiming to demonstrate that waste can once again be transformed into valuable material.

The truck’s key advantage is evident in locations where waste transport is difficult, such as wind turbine sites, industrial areas, and major events.

With the completion of the pilot phase, the project is moving into a stage testing the feasibility of offering the concept as a practical service to companies. The truck will be demonstrated in operation at the Engineering Festival in Milan on September 19–20, 2026.