Waste Initiatives Awards

by Eleonora Anello

Saturday, October the 30th, 2010, at 11:30am at the Palazzo d’Accursio, the seat of the Municipality of Bologna in occasion of “the European Day Against Waste”, was promoted and sponsored by the Agriculture Commission of the European Parliament and with the support from, among others, Eni and Telecom Italia was official awarded the “Premio Non sprecare” (Do Not Waste Award).

The award is divided into three distinct categories, one for Don Ciotti, a Made in carcere (Made in Jail) one, and one for our old acquaintance, the “Porta la Sporta” Campaign (Bring your reusable bags). Don Ciotti, the founder of Libera and Casa Acmos, received the character award for «his continued and passionate commitment to fighting all forms of waste on both tangible and intangible fronts. Through his testimony and experience of the extensive network of volunteers, Don Ciotti has shown how to combat waste, indifference and cynicism, and affirm the values of solidarity, responsibility and participation», said the jury headed by Antonio Galdo, journalist and creator of the event. The prize also went to the companies of “Made in Carcere”, a cooperative of Lecce, which helps to reduce waste by reusing waste products and clothing destined for the shredder to make plastic bags and accessories made by prisoners. Finally, the associated category, the award was given to the Comuni Virtuosi (Virtuosi Municipality) for the Porta la Sporta Campaign, of which we have repeatedly reported on in our blog.

Congratulations to Silvia Ricci, the coordinator and founder of Porta la Sporta, we must now try to understand the secrets that make the campaign so successful.

In all these years as you communicate the waste links of the consumption of plastic bags to citizens, how many institutions and companies have you approached?
«In fact, even if I have had the impression of doing so for years, the campaign was quietly launched March 22nd, 2009, by simply putting the site online. I remember that even Envi.info had spoken with a few others. As for the specific communication on waste and consumption that is disposable, especially on trains and on the influence that such action is marked by the momentary satisfaction of comfort has to determine the daily decisions, but not limited to, effects devastating when multiplied by billions of individuals, reflected in all our press releases and website content. So much of our communication had been focused on the web, especially through the site and sending press releases to industry sites and blogs. The public administration has been involved through calls and has instead targeted communications on a regular basis especially during events organized by us during the National Reusable Bag Week and the European Week for Waste Reduction. The strategy was the same for the main brands of supermarket chains. A campaign is currently underway to collect signatures to put on the network to be presented with the insignia. We then turned to environmental groups and spontaneous movements. Finally, after a few months, we opened up a Facebook profile for an increased focus on interactivity and to broaden the scope to other aspects of sustainable living».

Which strategy was more effective?
«There is one strategy that is more effective than others. It’s the mix of several strategies that rewards, especially those borrowed from the marketing of the market itself and therefore not typical of environmental communication, which is usually effective in the short term. The Porta la Sporta Campaign literally bombarded on all fronts, for all those actors who think they have a role on improving or eliminating the problem by highlighting each of their roles and the possible intervention beyond its economic benefits or obtained image».