Record of participants for the second edition of the European Week for Waste Reduction

by Silvia Musso

From November the 20th to the 28th, in more than 22 European countries, the second edition of the European Week for Waste Reduction will take place with more that 3000 participating bodies.

In Italy, the Italian Promotional Committee, which consists of the Ministry of Environment, Federambiente, Rifiuti 21 Network (the Waste 21 Network), the Province of Turin, Legambiente, AICA, E.R.I.C.A. Soc. Coop., and Eco Town, which are validated by over 580 actions from all Italian regions (the last year there were about 400), a number that puts it in second place in Europe after France.

Many public and private entities, known as project developers, will implement awareness raising activities on the specific issue of waste prevention, which can be achieved through source reduction and reuse.

However, success of the campaign is not only quantitative but also qualitative. The assets are varied and original and are often the result of a longer process, which are closely related to the campaign and are intended to be born and die within a few days. The real success of the week will be helping to raise general awareness on the issue of waste prevention.
The events include a conference on a national level from the university of ‘Trashing the Trash’. Communication models for the prevention and the doorstep collection of waste organized by the Environmental Communication group (CHANGE) and the Faculty of Communication and Science Knowledge of the University of Rome (the Congress Center, Faculty of Communication, on the 23rd of November), the conference has put prevention at the core of sustainable waste management (Genova, November the 26th at 9:00am, at the Palazzo Tursi), and the First National Seminar on Research on Waste and the promotion of good practices of environmental sustainability (Capannori (LU), on the 20th and 21st of November, at the Municipal Auditorium) during which the Italian Network of Home Composting will be officially founded.

Also of note is the project ‘Riduure si può’ (Reducing is possible) which is coordinated by Legambiente through its many circles during the 27th and 28th of November.
The ‘Week’ will be officially launched in Europe by a series of events by the FlashMob or NoTrashMob, as they were dubbed in Italy.

The NoTrashMob are to launch the SERR which is a meeting of citizens who take steps to promote waste prevention in a festive atmosphere. Participants are encouraged to meet in a public space which is accessible and visible – e.g. square, schools, theaters, multipurpose centers, e.t.c. – to play along with their baskets and other containers which serve as symbols of waste reduction. The result is a sort of “Batucada”, the original music of Rio de Janeiro played on traditional Brazilian percussion instruments similar to drums: the only difference is that the repinique, tambourine, agogo and Apita will be replaced here by our waste bins, bottles and anything that can be used to symbolize waste reduction and responsible consumption, as well and make noise. In Italy the NoTrashMob will be more than ten, a number that puts us in first place among all State Parties during the ‘Week?, from Sicily to Lombardy, Calabria in Peidmont, Liguria, Venteto and Lazio, which will use the motto; “the more empty the bin, the louder the sounds!”.