A better designed garbage trolley that reduces service time, weight, effort, and storage space, also allowing to sort items for recycling.
TEAM
MENTORS
DENISE IKUNO
OLIVER F.
LIANA MAKI
FAUSTO M.
LUCAS NEUMANN LUCAS OTSUKA TADEU OMAE
2015
Abstract This project focuses on the passenger waste management problems identified in many independent studies and also during our own research with a variety of airline stakeholders, especially issues related to recycling. We’ve found that even though most of the material collected during flights is composed of recyclables, only a minor percentage of airline waste gets recycled due to logistics, interest conflicts, and regulation problems. From all the touchpoints through which this problems could be addressed, the waste collection service during the flights seems to be the most critical and, nonetheless, fertile for change and improvements. Because of time and space limitations, current practices involving collection of waste are very underdeveloped compared to all other in-flight procedures, often being carried out with hand-held bin bags in which all kinds of material is mixed together, only to be compressed in the cabin by expensive and heavy equipment into unrecyclable packs. By deeply understanding this one crucial flight moment, as well as the big picture in which the waste problem is contained, we were able to design a waste trolley that can replace the standard bin trolleys, and allows for the separation and compression of recyclable material during collection procedure, without increase in service time. The trolley enables the reduction of 50% in total waste volume without the use of electronic compressors. By replacing current equipment, our trolley frees up space in the aricraft’s galley and reduces up to 30Kg in equipment weight. It is a simple solution that enables for 1.35 billion tons of recyclable waste to be prepared accordingly and sold to recycling plans.
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Introduction Where the project comes from
This project was started as part of our graduation in Design at the Universidade de SĂŁo Paulo, in Brazil. During this six people
months project, we were challenged to look at the airline industry and find a problem or an innovation opportunity we could tackle using the design methodologies such as Design Thinking and Human Centered Design.
tech
business
After visiting Embraer, the Brazilian airplane manufacturer, Guarulhos International Airport (the largest in Brazil), and talking to many stakeholders in the airline industry (i.e pilots, passengers & flight assistants) our attention was
The three spheres of human centered design that lead to disruptive innovation
attracted by the various comments and complaints about the waste management area. With further investigation, both with ground and desk research, we confirmed that collecting, managing and recycling passenger’s waste was a very complex and troublesome area, therefore with a very fertile ground for improvements and innovation. Our research was awarded the Silver prize by the Brazil IDEA Awards (the national’s design award) and was further developed with the help of Airbus during the Fly Your Ideas competition.
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Defining the problem Airline waste management
In 2010, the New York Times published an
ecosystem: airports, airlines, manufacturers,
article about airline waste management,
municipalities, private waste companies and
revealing the lack of care of the industry as
federal security agencies. 50% of the waste
a whole with regards to this problem. For
is produced by airlines, while the other half
an industry based on large consumption
comes from the airport itself: toilets, shops,
of fossil fuels and a carbon footprint,
restaurants, and offices. It is imperative, for
airports and airlines should, according
cost and time reasons, that waste is sorted
to the newspaper, create better waste
for recycling in flight so that the recycling
management programs that enable the
process can take place in land, but it would
reduction of this impact immediately. All
not make any difference if the airport itself
stakeholders agree there is increasing
is not prepared to receive, manage, and
pressure from clients, employees and the
forward the waste accordingly. If all parts
media about this issue, but the numbers
are not committed, the process does not
remain unchanged.
happen.
In the same article, there’s an estimate that less than 20% of flight waste is currently being recycled, which is less than the
One year of American passenger’s aluminum cans could build 58 Boeing 747.
already low 31% US national average. Just with the passengers’ aluminum cans that go
Natural Resources Defence Council
to landfills every year in America, 58 new Boeings 747 could be built. In 2004, 9.000
The importance of land infrastructure,
tons of plastic were discarded. Projections
according to the Airport Council
show that increasing the current average to
International, makes the problem a local
70% would be equivalent to taking 80.000
one. Every airport has its own peculiarities
cars off the streets.
and spatial organization, which makes a standardized collecting protocol very hard
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An extensive report published by the
to implement. According to airlines and
National Resources Defense Council
their crew there is a lack of information
(NRDC) in 2006 says that the waste
about each airport’s facilities, which makes
problem does not have one single guilty
it impossible to know if sorting recyclables
stakeholder, but on the contrary, should be
in flight is necessary or just a waste of
the responsibility of all parts of the flight
time, since if the infrastructure is not there,
RETROLLEY | Airbus FYI Report 2015
IMAGE : AIRLINEMEALS.COM
everything will just get mixed anyway when
Separating recyclables in flight makes
it lands.
recycling feasible on after landing.
With regards to in-flight sorting, most
Letting the separation process for ground
airlines and crew agree that the lack of
procedures is more costly, time-consuming
space in the aircraft, as well as the lack
and less effective having in mind that they
of time both for in flight and ground
have been already mixed together and,
procedures are the major limitations for the
therefore, contaminated.
practice to take place. Not only airlines but corporations and A very important player in this scenario is
communities are ready and looking for
the Animal By-product Regulations (2005)
changes. Delta Airlines and Virgin America
which puts restrictions on how International
have already developed many procedures
Catering Waste (Cat 1 ICW) can be
to improve their numbers. Toyota North
handled, stored and disposed of in order
America has even reached their goal of
to prevent the spread of disease. Where
sending less than 5% of their waste to
Cat1 ICW (any meat or fish byproduct)
landfills and the City of San Jose is not
is present, the whole bag of waste is
much behind. They are working to expand
considered contaminated. This makes the
new recycling, composting and waste
in-flight sorting procedures mandatory if
conversion opportunities to meet their
the objective is to enable anything to be
goal of zero waste by 2020. This kind of
recycled by the airport facilities.
strategies and commitment shows us that there is a high environmental concern going
Where Cat1 ICW (any meat or fish byproduct) is present, the whole bag of waste is considered contaminated.
on and people are moving on this direction.
Sustainable Aviation, 2010
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Analysis
The current in-flight waste collecting procedures We’ve interviewed enough flight attendants to realise that even though all show interest in making their flights greener, separating passenger’s waste for recycling is not by far a common practice. All of them agree that this moment is very rushed, due to time and space constraints, but depending on the aircraft size, different steps can be taken: After the meals are served, the crew can walk the isles wearing gloves and holding plastic bags, or pushing a bin trolley, in which they will throw anything collected from the passengers.
Some flight attendants like to empty the PET bottles and store them in the catering trolleys, hoping that they will get a better end than the waste in the normal bin. But that’s just hope, we don’t know.
These bags are then taken to the galley where they’ll be deposited in the bin (a full size trolley) or in a electronic trash compactor. There is no sorting of recyclable materials in this procedure. The only things that get separated washable kitchenware, or large drink containers that stay in the same trolley used when serving the meals, which is collected by the catering company who takes care of it. There’s no sure answer if these catering companies do recycle the materials collected.
Image: Globo
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Rogério Refundini, TAM
procedures need to be done so quickly that it’s easier for cabin crew to just throw all the waste in a single bag.
our Interviewees
our visits
NAME
AIRLINE
AIRCRAFT
COMPANY
PLACE
Silvia
Air France
A330 / A340
GRU Int. Airport
Guarulhos
Enilaine
TAM
A319 / 320
CGH Airport
São Paulo
Karen
TAM
A319 / 320
Gate Gourmet Catering
Guarulhos
Rogério
TAM
A319 / 320
Embraer
S. J. Campos
Leandro
TAM
E-190
Fernanda
Emirates
A380
According to one interviewee, the waste produced is often more than the galley bins can hold, even when they get compressed. Some of them reported occasions in which the waste trolleys were not enough for all the flight’s trash, and improvised methods of storage had to be taken, such as placing the waste in cardboard boxes that didn’t have a specific place in the galley, and thus had to be stored in the toilets for safe landing.
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Analysis
Equipment currently in use
Regular Bin Trolley SPECIFICATIONS Weight
30Kg
Galley Space
1 Full space
Waste capacity
70Kg
Volume
240L
Compression rate
-
Nº of passenger’s waste
115
Cost
Low
Allows for recycling
No
Energy use
-
This simple trolley (half-size or full size) has just one single opening at the top, where all waste collected by cabin crew is deposited. It can be pushed down the aisles for collecting, or assistants can just bring bin bags with them and store them inside the trolley later. Even though it has very low manufacturing costs, it doesn’t allow for recyclables to be sorted, and It doesn’t allow for space to be saved neither by compressing or organizing the material. Small aircrafts (A320) carry 2 of these trolleys, while in medium aircrafts (A330 / A340) there are up to 4 of them. Considering that each passenger produces about 0.6kg of waste per flight, and that each trolley holds up to 70 kg of material, we can tell that all of them get tightly filled up.
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Analysis
Equipment currently in use
electronic trash compressors SPECIFICATIONS Weight
80Kg
Galley Space
1 Full space
Waste capacity
-
Volume
-
Compression rate
10:1
Nº of passenger’s waste
-
Cost
High
Allows for recycling
No
Energy use
1.7kW
These are present in the majority of A380 (long-haul) aircrafts, and in about 70% of A330/340, mostly serving international flights. Their obvious advantage is a very high compression power, able to reduce waste volume in a 9:1 ratio, which means that 1000L of waste (equivalent to 4 full size trolleys, or a full A330 flight) could be stored in 110 litres (1 half size trolley). The down side is that they weigh approximately 80 kg netto, which is 50 kg or 266% more than a regular one. They are also very expensive machines and use up to 1.7 kW of energy. Last but not least, they require the airline to keep buying the patented cardboard boxes into which the waste is packed. Both models present ergonomic problems such as the need to lift the trash bag up to the waist height, a movement that can be harmful to the body when done over and over.
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Analysis
Cabin waste composition According to a study by Li X et al, about waste reduction and recycling strategies for in-flight services, over 50% of all aircraft cabin cleaning waste could be recycled. In most flights, the waste is composed of clean paper, soiled paper, transparent PS, food and glass among others. Clean paper (such as newspapers and magazines) makes up by far the majority of waste by weight. The study suggests that all these materials could be recycled if sorting procedures were to be adopted by airlines.
3% aluminum cans
7% others 4% film plastics
32% clean paper
4% textiles
9% food 15% soiled paper 13% transparent PS 4% rigid plastics
9% glass
Total waste by flight type, in kilograms FLIGHT TYPE
TOTAL
ECONOMY C.
BUSINESS C.
FIRST C.
Long Haul
0.56
0.38
1.14
2.84
Medium Haul
0.58
0.48
0.85
1.57
Short Haul
0.40
0.21
1.20
* no 1st class
Total waste per passenger, in kilograms
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FLIGHT TYPE
TOTAL
ECONOMY C.
BUSINESS C.
FIRST C.
Long Haul
234
119
64
51
Medium Haul
226
150
48
28
Short Haul
134
66
68
* no 1st class
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Analysis
Best practices to sorting cabin waste for recycling Sustainable Aviation has published in 2010 the Aircraft Cabin Waste Recycling Guide, in which are listed best practices for collecting recyclables during the flight. These procedures consider Animal By-Product Regulations 2005 (CAT 1 ICW), which puts restrictions on how the waste has to be handled in order to prevent the spread of diseases. The regulation states that every waste bad containing products of animal origin, such as meat or honey, is considered contaminated. If the aim is for materials to be recycled after landing, these items have to be separated from the recyclables during the flight.
group 1: recyclable materials Includes newpapers, magazines, printed paper, plastic cups, water bottles, soft drink bottles, aluminum cans, carboard boxes and packaging.
group 2: animal products and contaminated Includes meat and fish products and any material in contact with it. Also tetrapak packaging, used napkins, shrink wrap plastic and other composite materials
group 3: catering material These are materials used during serving and that go immediately back into the service trolley. Includes washable kitchenware, glass bottles and large drink containers and bottles. These are sent back to the catering company.
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the project
Design requirements
After the data collection we gathered a list of functional and ergonomic requirements for our design that would lead us to the final solution.
Indispensable Requirements 1. Enable sorting of recyclable from the non-recyclable waste during the flight 2. Don’t cause increase in procedure time 3. Enable the compression of waste, preferably with no use of electricity 4. Be the same size of current standard trolleys 5. Separate liquids and leftover ice cubes in a dedicated container 6. Keep the passengers safe from the waste materials 7. Enable all compartments and containers to be locked in place for landing 8. Avoid sharp corners for health and safety reasons; 9. Smooth out surfaces to help the cleaning.
Desirable Requirements 10. Store PET bottles and aluminum cans independently 11. Cover the waste to not be seen by passengers; 12. Improve the way the trash bag is pulled out from the trolley. 13. Bear around 200 plastic cups 14. Improve flight attendant’s posture while pushing and pulling the cart.
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the project
Design phase
After collecting and analysing data, we started brainstorm sessions to come up with the first conceptual sketches and quick prototypes. In the drawing below it’s possible to see the first insights for distributing different materials and using the lever to compress waste manually.
sliding door
Cup stacking
Can crusher
Manual lever
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the project
Prototyping As part of the development, testing and prototyping is crucial. After sketching the first ideas we went ahead with volume prototypes, which were significantly important for our proposal. We started by building quick cardboard models to understand how much trash we could fit inside the trolley, and then built the wood model above to prove we could compress the waste with a movable front wall. The second insight was the rate compression. Instead of trying to reduce by half, we were going to increase the inner volume and just then reduce it again. In other words, we would expand it to X + 1/2X and then reduce it back to X. As it is a compression system, the quantity of material inside would be added up, resulting in a rate compression of 1/3 per actuation.
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Volume Tests
50 cups
50 cups, stacked
Stacking cups Stacking cups is a simple solution that can have a big impact
10 : 1 ratio
in total volume waste, but that is seldom done because of time constrains. Retrolley allows the practice by providing an intuitive, quick to use cup stacking bin.
20 cans
20 cans, crushed
crushing aluminum cans This is a procedure that is currently impossible to carry out inside the airplane, but that can also have a big impact in total waste volume. By incorporating a quick-to-use can crusher, Retrolley not only allows this practice, but also
4:1 ratio
has a separate compartment so that cans can be easily removed and sold to aluminum recycling facilities.
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the project
Product Design In order to make them fit in a regular galley we kept the shape of the current trolleys, so that there is no need to make any changes in the current system. Its differential relies on its interfaces (superior and rear) where the compartments for the separation of the recyclables are.
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Recyclable materials Organic / Contaminated
Cup stacking Sink for liquids / ice cubes
Compress handle
top interface At the top there are two separate bags, a green or transparent one for recyclables and a black one for organics. To cover the bags while the trolley is not in operation, there is a slide plastic lid that runs in a railvv. There is also a sink connected to a bottle for leftover liquids and ice cubes, and a box for the stacked plastic cups. The bottle, such as the box, can be easily unfilled, when necessary, by turning the clog at the bottom.
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REAR INTERFACE At the rear face there are the access to
positions the can into the indicated place
the bottle for leftover liquids, the access
and presses the pedal crushing the can,
to the box of stacked cups, and the can
which automatically drops into a separate
crusher. The crusher can be activated by a
container. Cans can be removed separatedly
pedal at the bottom. The flight attendant
for selling, or mixed with other recyclables.
Handle
Stacked cups container Leftover liquids container
Can crusher
Crushed cans container
Crusher pedal
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The can crusher is located in the bottom rear. It allow for the assitant to quickly drop a can in the right position and crush it using the pedal. The crushed can automatically falls into a separate container.
Its compartments are made of high-temperature injected thermoplastic, as each one of them have their own shape and need to be easy cleaning, while the basic structure is given by aluminum, a low-cost industrial material in terms of physical and chemical resistance and extremely light compared to other materials with same characteristics.
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Handlebar and Compression System The handlebar is designer to better the assistant’s posture while pushing the cart, and act as lever for the trolley’s compression mechanism. It is telescopic, so that the flight attendant has more space to walk behind it, and needs less effort while operating the compression system. Once unlocked, he/she can move the handlebar up and down (for two or three times), in a lever movement, to compress the waste back into the half size trolley. The handlebar operates in a ratcheting mechanism, just like in a bicycle. You will only activate the compression when you move it down. This is a simple and mechanic movement, which discard the necessity for electric and/or electronic devices, keeping it easy and cheap to produce. Even though it is now as powerful as electric compressors, it can easily compress the waste in the bags since cups and cans are stored separatedly.
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MATERIALS AND SPECS Even though Retrolley has embedded equipments that normal ones don’t, we were able to make it lighter with the use of new, better materials. The structure and walls are made of layered PC2 polycarbonate with an internal structure of ‘honeycomb’, which makes it very resistant to physical, chemicals and temperature impact, as well as
pc2 polycarbonate by Plascore
reducing 20%-30% weight and cost when compared to trolleys built out of aluminum. Our estimates are that the final product weight would be 25Kg.
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Round two
Detailing the Outcomes In round two we worked together with our Airbus mentor to understand, based on the feedback from Round 1, our project’s main strengths and weaknesses. Our main task was to quantify more precisely the benefits of our ideas, so we went on to search for more reliable data, numbers and facts, as well as more detailed information about procedures and involvement of all stakeholders. We verified that Retrolley is able to hold the same amount of waste that a current full size trolley does, just by staking cups, crushing cans, and slightly compressing the rest of the waste.
2:1
COMPARISON CHART : RETROLLEY VS. NORMAL TROLLEY Considering a full-size trolley holds 240L = 70kg = 100 passengers’ waste
Qt per 100
Total volume
Retrolley
Total volume
passengers
in normal trolley
compression
inside retrolley
Cups
200
60L (300ml*200)
10 : 1 (Stacked)
6L
Cans
100
35L (350ml*100)
4 : 1 (Compressed)
Other waste
–
145L
3 : 1 (Compressed)
95L
TOTAL
–
240L
2:1
109.75L
MATERIAL
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8.75L
CASE 01: A320, 180 PASSENGERS & 480L OF WASTE Considering a full-size trolley holds 240L = 70kg = 100 passengers EQUIPMENT OPTIONS
Eq. weight
Galley space used
1 electronic compactor
80Kg
1 full slot
2 full size trolleys
60Kg
2 full slots
2 Retrolleys
50Kg
1 full slot
Result 02 full size trolleys
2 Retrolley
-10Kg
-1 galley slot
01 full size compactor
2 Retrolley
-30Kg
same qt. of galley slots*
Case 02 : A330-300, 300 passengers & 720 L of waste Considering a full-size trolley holds 240L = 70kg = 100 passengers EQUIPMENT OPTIONS
Eq. weight
Galley space used
1 electronic compactor
80Kg
1 full slot
3 full size trolleys
90Kg
3 full slots
3 Retrolleys
75Kg
1.5 slots
Result 03 full size trolleys
3 Retrolley
-15Kg
-1.5 galley slot
01 full size compactor
3 Retrolley
-5Kg
+0.5 galley slots*
Case 03 : A380, 554 passengers & 1305L of waste Considering a full-size trolley holds 240L = 70kg = 100 passengers EQUIPMENT OPTIONS
Eq. weight
Galley space used
2 electronic compactors
160Kg
2 full slot
6 full size trolleys
180Kg
6 full slots
6 Retrolleys
150Kg
3 full spaces
Result 06 full size trolleys
6 Retrolley
-30Kg
-3 galley slots
02 electronic compactor
3 Retrolley
-10Kg
+1 galley slots*
* Conservative estimates do not consider waste that is stored outside compactors and use up extra space. Please keep in mind that Retrolley stores all the waste inside itself.
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Round two
RETROLLEY BENEFITS
Allows materials to be sorted and thus recycled after landing Sorting waste during the flight is currently the only way to make sure 1.35 billion tonnes of waste get recycled.
$
sorted materials can be sold to recycling plans The total market value of common recyclable materials generated from U.S. passenger aircraft flights is estimated at $18 to $26 million annually. Sorting organics may also enable production of fuel.
Reduces up to 30kg in galley equipment Reduces fuel consumption
Frees up to 3 full galley slots Extra space can be used to fit more seating, store duty free products or expanded food and beverage service.
improved handling ergonomics Flight attendants can walk the isles more comfortably, and don’t need to lift heavy and bulky bin bags.
Purchase price lower than electric compactors Simplicity of design and smaller size makes galley equipping cheaper.
Uses zero electricity There’s no need for special galley setup, and allows for fuel savings.
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NEXT STEPS Our design is a small part on the recycling challenge, and the optimal scenario would count on participation form all airlines, airports, and municipalities. There are a lot of questions that should still be addressed, both concerning the design itself and the broader context it is situated in: •
Consultation with engineers in order to detail internal mechanisms such as can compressor and handlebar compression, mainly.
•
Accounting staff consultation to better calculate costs, savings and revenues from this project
•
Execute a series of tests under more real factors such as time constraints, space, weight limitation, etc.
•
Creation of recycling guidelines and goals, engagement, encouragement and training the cabin crew to separate recyclables according to regulations.
•
Awareness campaign to stimulate, involve and educate passengers to separate materials or at least not contaminate them, like Delta Airlines does helps to increase the effectiveness of recycling programs and also create customer loyalty.
•
Airports, airlines and catering companies need to get involved in designing a recycling programmes and infrastructure.
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References
Baxter, M. Projeto de Produto: Guia Prático para o Desenvolvimento de Novos Produtos. São Paulo: Edgar Blücher Ltda, 1998. Hershkowitz A, Hoover D. Trash Landings : How Airlines and Airports Can Clean Up Their Recycling Programs. November 2006 Hodnett S. Airline Waste Recycling Guide. Sustainable aviation. 2010 Li X, Poon C, Lee S, Chung S, Luk F. Waste reduction and recycling strategies for the in-flight services in the airline industry. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2003;37(2):87-99. doi:10.1016/s0921-3449(02)00074-5. Negroni C. Airlines Recycle Little of Travelers’ Trash. Nytimescom. 2015. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/business/energy-environment/23recycle.html?_r=0. Accessed March 29, 2015. Proença, P. Quanto tempo uma aeromoça passa no céu? Mundo Estranho, São Paulo, Ed. 120. pg 54-55, jan. 2012. Recycling Best Practices—A Guidebook for Advancing Recycling from Aircraft Cabins. Transport Research Board of The National Academies, 2014. What Goes Up Must Come Down: The Sorry State of Recycling in the Airline Industry. Green America. 2010
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Thank you!
Denise Ikuno Lucas Neumann Lucas M. Otsuka Liana Maki Tadeu Omae
2015
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