A village celebrating… the organic waste collection

by Silvia Musso


For a day the merry-go-rounds kept motionless and the balls left in a corner: the park, in fact, was hosting several toys made with salvage plus a party dedicated to the organic waste collection.
The Catalonian Municipality of St. Andreu de Llavaneres (Barcelona) has chosen to involve children and their families in the final event of the communication campaign “Separa bé la matèria orgànica” (Separate the organic waste properly), to sensitize all citizens about the importance of collecting that kind of waste: a day in which were mixed together information, environmental education (also using a play for kids from 2 to ten years) and toys made using only salvages, proposed by the Catalonian group “Guixot de 8”, well known in whole Europe.
All participants –some hundreds of people, summing up children and adults- were then invited to make the test “Creus que això és orgànic?” (Do you think it is organic waste?): once filled, they could take part in a banquet, which waste (including glasses and kitchenware) had to be thrown into the bins of organic waste collection.

This event has been the final act of a various campaign of communication and sensitization, modelled on the territory, which staked on the direct involvement of citizens, with specific actions for particular categories. In addition to mailing and informative desks, they created multi-language leaflets (in Spanish and English, for tourists, and in Arab, for the many workers coming from Northern Africa living in that area) and contacted the commuters arriving every morning at the railway and bus station. A qualified staff went to the major villas, talking directly with home-maids, as they represent often the persons that make the separation of domestic waste. A double billposting was also made: first billboards were based on a provocative claim (“Do you think it is organic waste?”, also used for the final test), while the second series used the campaign’s slogan.

«Results will be seen in some months, but answers from citizens are already positive, thanks to the choice of using messages sent in different situations and using different languages –say the organizers- The strength of this campaign was the “tailor-made” project, based on real necessities of the Municipality of St. Andreu de Llavaneres».