The founders
Here are the founders of Giunko srl, former innovative startup, now an SME, that created the Junker app: Todor, Noemi, Benedetta, and Giacomo (from left to right).
Today, the company specializes in developing cloud-based solutions for the mobile and web worlds of the cleantech sector. Its most ambitious and well-known project remains the Junker app.
Our history
How it all began…
The legend of major global tech startups centers around the garage, where visionary and brilliant young people, who dropped out of college to follow an inspiration, give life to projects that become global giants and change the world.
For us, things went more…Italian-style: it all started in the kitchen, on the table where we eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As soon as the table was cleared, we worked on the project.
Tagliatelle and bits. Or rather, tortellini, since it was happening in Bologna.
And no one dropped out of college or work because they had to pay mortgages and bills…
But how did the idea come about?
Tired of searching for information on recycling in every city we visited, we wondered if it was possible to build a system that automatically “understood” how to separate a product, based on unique characteristics: Giacomo came up with the idea of reading the barcode.
But there was no structured database to draw from, so we had to create it ourselves: in one night, locked in a friendly Despar supermarket, we manually scanned and classified thousands of barcodes to begin building the app’s database (approximately 20,000 initial products).
After the experimental prototype phase, the first version of Junker 1.0 was released in 2015.
MA QUAL ERA L’IDEA?
Create a revolutionary waste sorting app,
in the sense of “really useful.”
Today, the Junker app is the advanced tutor that empowers citizens to circular economy.
The app recognizes all waste by photographing it or by barcode and provides disposal instructions after geolocating your location, automatically providing you with the right information.
So you don’t put the right material (in the sense of recyclable)… in the wrong place.
All the right information in the right place
To help you remember rules and deadlines without stress, Junker is the only app that recognizes each waste item via photo, barcode, material symbol, or keyword, and tells you how to dispose of it, according to the regulations of your municipality.
And if you’re traveling for work, study, or vacation, simply update your location to get information about your area: calendars, notifications, collection points, news, and environmental reports.
Direct access to urban hygiene services
You can also access many urban hygiene services, such as booking bulky waste collections, unlocking bins with a virtual key, and accessing the recycling center—all in one app!
This way, waste separation is no longer a problem and no mistakes are made.
Giunko today
Objective Europe
The European Union, through its Green Deal strategies, is pushing for the digitalization of environmental information on products.
And Junker, in addition to its role as a tutor for waste sorting, also manages the Digital Environmental Label (EAD) and is involved in projects like Horizon 3-CO, which promote its European interoperability: a clear competitive advantage for entering other markets.
Furthermore, Junker is built on a modular cloud platform, where the waste sorting logic is based on local rules. This means that the technological core remains unchanged, while the “data layer” can be easily adapted to each country or even each municipality.
The app is already available in multiple languages (Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, Slovenian, etc.) and dynamically manages content and notifications based on the user’s language and geolocation.
Finally, the app is also a tool for education and participation. This bottom-up engagement works in any European context where citizens are encouraged to engage in sustainable behavior.
Junker thus offers a cultural bridge between technology and environmental awareness—a language all EU countries are trying to promote.
Other projects
In addition to managing the Junker app, Giunko designs and develops complex architectures and distributed systems based on cutting-edge technologies aimed at process innovation and the quality of the user experience.
It also aggregates, processes, and analyzes large amounts of data to maximize its value in the highly competitive landscape of the circular economy and digital transformation.
Sentinella
Sentinella is an integrated mobile app + web platform for monitoring and actively protecting the environment on the go. It is intended for operators of municipalities, local authorities, parks, reserves, and similar organizations, and represents the professional complement to the Junker app.
Etichetta Ambientale Digitale
This digital card provides information on the disposal of consumer products, plus manufacturer verification, integration, and validation. This represents a significant step forward in our commitment to providing complete and certified information, as required by Legislative Decree 116/2020.
CARonte24
Created for Pomili DS, it digitizes the booking process for car scrapping, for the creation of an innovative door-to-door vehicle scrapping/deregistration service and the automation of operations for proper waste management, for external construction sites and roadside assistance.
Junker is part of DNA Ambiente, an innovative ecosystem in the environmental sector: companies with a wealth of expertise, experience, and solutions to create a sustainable value chain for customers.
This company boasts 10 years of intercompany collaboration and brings with it a wealth of experience: over 3,500 local governments served, 30 million citizens reached by its services, 1 in 5 TARI bills in Italy calculated with its software, and more than 200,000 waste disposals managed at collection centers each year.
