Waste Not, Want Not

Our first technical visit was to the Arborea Municipal Waste Complex, which collects and sorts solid waste from the Oristano region of Sardinia. Our tour started in the control room, which gave us a bird's-eye view of the entire facility.

Municipal solid waste being piled at the facility

Municipal solid waste arrives already separated into organic waste, plastics and metals, glass, paper and cardboard, and refuse. In 2008, approximately 80,000 tonnes of waste was sent to the landfill, but due to recycling and separation, the quantity has decreased to approximately 12,000 tonnes per year.

After an overview of the facility, we began our tour. We were given face masks and optional suits, but unfortunately they did little to mask the smell.

     

Our tour started with a look at the composting process. For high quality compost, a specific ratio of food waste to yard waste (such as tree branches, leaves, etc.) must be used. The RSU has a machine that monitors the ratio and mixes as needed.

After the correct ratio is achieve, the organic waste is pulverized and allowed to sit and decompose for two weeks.

Air from the indoor composting area is collected and channeled through pipes to be filtered in a biofiltration area. The air comes through openings in the floor and plants filter and purify the air.

     

After the organic waste has sat inside for two weeks, it is moved outside, where it will continue to decompose for at least another two weeks. The final compost product is sold to local farmers to use in their fields.

Our tour also included the plastic separation process at the facility. Plastic and metal come to the facility together and are loaded onto a conveyor belt.

     

Workers sort through the plastic and remove pieces that are too large.

The conveyor belt is magnetic, so after large pieces of plastic are removed, the plastic and metal can easily be separated. While the plastic falls off the conveyor belt, the metal products stick to it.

After separation and sorting, material can be compressed and shipped to facilities that can finish the recycling process.

Material that is cannot be recycled is moved to the landfill at the facility.

Our tour ended in the employee break room, where we were treated to cookies and snacks. On the way back to Cagliari, we made a stop in San Sperate, a small town that was home to artist Pinuccio Sciola. The village itself is full of public art. We walked around the town for about an hour, enjoying the sun, clean air, and art at every corner, before heading home for the day.

A Lab with a View

Prior to our first visit to a municipal solid waste facility, the class completed a lab to better understand how waste is separated and tested for waste to energy facilities. The first thing we noticed was how much nice the view from this lab was compared to the civil engineering basement labs.

And, of course, we looked just as serious and studious as ever in our lab coats.

During this lab, we learned the "quartering" procedure for both compost and solid waste. First, the waste is separated into four quarters. Diagonal sections are mixed together, and the procedure is repeated several times. This is a very common method for sampling and testing municipal solid waste.

When We All Fell in Love with the Sardinian Countryside

Our day ended at the Agriturismo Sa Perda Marcada in Arbus.

Agriturismo loosely translates to "farm-stay". They are often independent farms that owners have partially dedicated to accommodations. Food is also included in your stay, and to be labeled an agriturismo, at least 80% of the food served must be sourced from the farm.

Sa Perda Marcada was absolutely stunning. We arrived just before sunset, and after sorting out our rooms, we explored the land, meeting several new friends along the way.

After yet another leisurely meal, some of us went to straight to bed, while others bundled up, grabbed blankets, and ran out into the field to watch the stars.

The next morning after breakfast, we had some time to explore even more. Elianne found herself a new best friend in the process.

We all eventually found ourselves back at the main house, ready to learn to make pasta. The dough was already made for us, and we set to work rolling, pinching, and shaping gnochetti.

    

We had a few helpers join us as we made our pasta and our dessert, which was similar to fried ravioli filled with cheese and lemon zest.





The final product came out extremely well. The gnochetti was served with a simple tomato sauce and was one of the best meals we've had here.

When we finished lunch, it was time to leave the farm. We said goodbye to all our new friends and headed towards Spaggia Le Dune di Piscinas, Europe's largest desert beach.

While some people went directly to climb the dunes, others went straight to the water.

The waves were much bigger than the ones at Poetto, but that didn't stop the more adventurous people from trying to swim.

Covered in sea spray and absolutely exhausted, we all fell asleep on the bus ride home, dreaming of the adventures to come.

Temples on Temples

After exploring the mines and cooling off in the sea, we all climbed back on board and made our way towards our lunch spot. Per usual, we were served plenty of wine and bread, piles of seafood, and a lot of pasta and cheese. Some people were more excited about the amount of mussels given to us than others.

Our next stop was the Tempio di Antas (Temple of Antas), an ancient Carthaginian-Roman temple. The Roman temple, which can be seen above ground, was built by emperor Augustus (27 BC - 14 AD). Underneath the steps are the remains of a Carthaginian temple dedicated to the Sardus Pater Babai, the principal male god of the local ancient civilization. The Carthaginian temple was built as early as 500 BC.

We were all very tired, but managed to fit in a bit of gymnastics before we left to go to our final destination of the day.

Be Mine

We spent the first few days in Cagliari settling in, starting classes, and spending our free Saturday at Poetto, a beach just outside of the city, soaking up the sun.

We all boarded a bus bright and early on Sunday morning for our first overnight excursion. After a bumpy bus ride and a few wrong turns, we unloaded at our first stop for a tour of a mine at Porto Flavia. The walk from the parking lot to the mine entrance was all uphill, but the views made it a bit easier to handle.

Il Pan de Zucchero (Sugarloaf), one of several limestone sea stacks rising from the water

Upon arrival, we were greeted with every civil engineer's favorite accessory - a bright yellow hard hat.

After many photos, we gathered around our guide for a tour of the mine at Porto Flavia. In the 1920's, Porto Flavia revolutionized the method of shipping mined materials from the southwest region of Sardinia. At the time, common practice was to haul minerals down to the beach, load them into small boats, and use the small boats to transfer the minerals to large ships farther out at see. Instead of this long, laborious process, engineers made use of the steep cliffs and calm sea at Porto Flavia and dug an opening directly into the side of the cliff 50 m above the water. By using two tunnels and a mechanical arm, minerals could be transferred directly onto the ships.

At the end of the tour, we slowly meandered our way down the hill, stopping to take photos and make a new furry friend.

Of course, we couldn't help but cool off a bit in the sea before continuing our adventures.

Next stop, the ancient Temple of Antas.