Reduce waste by using Internet

by Eleonora Anello

From this February, Mario Santi, expert in waste prevention, better known on the web like the "rifiutologo", will be the author of “Una finestra sulla prevenzione dei rifiuti” (A Window on the waste prevention), regular feature of the newsletter of Rifiuti Lab.
The section will address, every fortnight, for environmental engineers with the goal to constantly inform about the evolution, regulatory and economic instruments and the dissemination of experiences, giving ample space to best practices, conferences, and all useful initiatives that gravitate around the theme of waste reduction.

Dr. Santi, why the name rifiutologo?

«Since 1989 I offer professional solutions that help public institutions and private entities to face the problem of waste. Services to collect, separate and start them to the re-use; but also, especially in recent years, to halt the growth and try to stop the inevitable cycle of production/consumption/waste. It’s a job that allows me to use an interpretation key of the world observing it in upside down way. If I start from below, from which we get rid of, I understand many things: who we are, where we are going to, what the level of sustainability of our lives is. That's because I like to call "rifiutologo"».

We reveal the characteristics of his column ...
«My column is intended to provide news and insights on the evolution of the European Parliament and Council Directive 2008/98/EC, which places prevention at the top of the hierarchy of waste management and for which our Country will draw, by December 12th 2013, a national program of prevention. I shall therefore give information on available funding, on the conventions of particular importance and I shall highlight the practices more virtuous, have detailed information on the actions that lead to the most significant waste reduction. The best practices are developed more and more, as shown by time on this site, which attended the Working Group of Federambiente. Their spread is facilitated in particular by the “Guidelines on prevention of waste” of 2006, which I treated with the same team for the National Observatory on Waste and is about to leave an update».

In your work experience you have worked with many administrations. You have seen many communication campaigns targeted to decrease the amount of waste produced. What features should have a good campaign?
«Good is the campaign that not merely an appeal to the will, but offers to those involved economic and social reasons that make them convenient to be the protagonists of that action. Some actions of prevention and waste reduction are good for the environment like drinking tap water, use washable nappies, make home composting, use of second-hand clothing, furniture or computers. Merely informing on this aspect will get the backing of environmentalists while the majority of people will be indifferent to my persuasive force. But if you highlight the major health guarantees and the annual savings on minerals water, or mention the increased prosperity for the baby and the 1,500 € diapers spared in its early years; if I explain that I can save tax or fee for waste and purchase of fertilizer for garden plants; that I can use things that work well, are cheap and activates an induced labour and recovery resources for the third sector, my campaign will collect more successful».