The end of the European Week for Waste Reduction 2010

by Oliver Weathon

Yesterday, Sunday November the 28th, saw the end of the second edition of the European Week for Waste Reduction, which has mobilized millions of people in 18 States (including two extra-European countries, the Dominican Republic and Brazil). The measures that were validated by all the members amounted to more than 4,300 actions, and increase of 50% over last year.

Italy – where the ‘Week’ was sponsored by a national committee (composed of the Ministry of the Environment, Federambiente, Rifiuti 21 Network, The Province of Turin, Legambiente, Aica, E.R.I.C.A. and the ‘Eco dalle città’) and was carried out with the support of the President of the Republic, under the auspices of the Ministry of Environment, the President of the House and Senate, the National Italian Commission of UNESCO and with the support of Conai – has once again won the second place award with about 600 actions taken place around the country.

Roberto Cavallo, the President of AICA, said, “The whole of Italy has shown its desire to participate directly in the future of its territory, as the same European directive calls on Member States. We are confident that the Ministry, which this year is the official leader of the Italian Committee, will be able to capitalize on this enormous wealth of ideas, initiatives and positive responses, and desire to participate”.

Given the success of the ‘Week’, the president of Federambiente, Daniele Fortini, strongly underlies the strategic value of Italy moving towards a reduction in the mountains of waste it produces. “The prevention is a step that is at the beginning of the European hierarchy of waste management. Reducing the amount of waste to manage, and reducing waste and excessive consumption is necessary to save materials and energy as well as money. Paradoxically, the waste prevention in our country is the bottom point of the waste hierarchy”.

A concept that Walter Facciotto, the General Manager of Conai, talks about: “In the broader perspective of waste management, packaging waste prevention is an important tool both from an economic standpoint, great environmental and cultural benefits can also come from not only reducing the volume of waste, but also through changes in the patterns of design and production of packaging, distribution and consumption of goods”.

The Italian Organizing Committee is now working to identify five actions among the hundreds collected (one from each category of project development: government, associations, businesses, schools, e.t.c.) to be send as potential candidates for the European Secretariat.

On March the 28th, 2011, in Brussels the European Awards will be given to Europe’s most original and worthy actions, based on the evaluations by a panel of experts.
The occasion will also launch the third and final edition, to be held from the 19th to the 27th of November, 2011.