Speech to the players of “Comuni ricicloni 2009”

by Federica Gemma

The prize of the Italian challenge “Comuni Ricicloni” (which each year draws up a list of Municipalities that have improved the separate waste collection), which took place on 14 July, also this year signed an increasing sensitivity. The first classified were all, around the 80% of collection, a result that goes well beyond the 2009 italian legal limit that was 45%.

We asked to the players how to reach these goals because convinced that behind this result, there is undoubtedly a good job of environmental communication.
1st place - City of Cessalto (Treviso) - Deputy Franca Gottardi: In the previous electoral mandate from 2002 to 2007 I was Head of Culture and the Environment. The project borned in 2006 starting the doorstep service to remove the ecological point of collection, which did not own had anything of ecological. Citizenship has been able to integrated itselves in our communication plan. The instrument that was perhaps more usefull was the calendar distributed to all households, from year to year, and that show each the days of collection., and specific indications about what to put and what not in the waste bags. Another communication tool that has helped has been the newspaper that summarizes the efforts of the Municipality, whose costs are sotenute by companies of the area and also distributed to our citizens abroad.
2nd prize - City of Ponte nelle Alpi (Belluno) - Mayor Roger De Menech: Our communication plan was managed by the Consortium Priula. We used an eye-catching graphic communication, but we have focused primarily on public meetings with citizens: we have organized 23 meetings. It was the most important instruments, as the active participation of 3500 people has enabled us not only to explain and plan, but above all to modify the plan according to their needs.
3rd prize – City of Carano (Trento) - AD Andrea Ventura of Fiemme Servizi: In 2005 the municipality asked to us to give a clear turning point for the collection of waste. We have developed for this purpose a clear communication plan by meeting the people. Were held 11 meetings, one for the Municipality. We have adopted a business model that abandons the fragmentation of small towns in favor of a more enlarged and homogeneous. The communication plan was aimed at distinct targets: one through the general meeting without a filter with the population well in explaining what the new collection system, one represented by the schools and then going to hit the younger generation, a target at risk such as the elderly, difficulties in dealing with the differential, which were involved in the drafting and distribution of information material for the families and finally, we turned to companies with a face to face communication to each reality. Everything was done within a year and a half.

Usually when one was a result of collective efforts, not ever mentioning the individual, but for once we would like to do it: you want someone to thank for this result (individuals, associations, corporations, committees, etc ...)?
1st prize: Nobody in particular, all citizens without distinction, because they have all contributed to achieving an excellent result.
2nd place: The people who have demonstrated a sense of citizenship extra-ordinary, the administration and the political courage of our Environment Assessor Ezio Orzes, which has been able to do innovative and radical political choices.
3rd prize: I thank all the families of the Val di Fiemme for their environmental sensitivity that comes from the history of our valley. In institutional terms, who I believed in the project to get involved, the President of the District of Val di Fiemme Gianni Delladio.

What the next steps on the waste collection and prevention?
1st prize: The current Environment Assessor David Codella is researching the collection of free diapers, to refine our system.
2nd prize: Our system continuously adapting change through small steps. Currently we are engaged on two fronts: the ability to create new networks of collection and export of our neighbouring municipalities, also seen the economic results achieved.
3rd place: I would like to make a necessary clarification underlining an issue that concerns the chain of collection. Then there is the necessity and urgency of finding solutions to be able to recover even more, for example the processing of organic waste I mean. The collection remains at the end to itself and thus loses its meaning.