Another Naples

by Eleonora Anello

A city submerged by waste dealing with their difficult manage. The images of Naples that for their sad spectacular, go around the world, unfairly communicate indifference of citizens living this state of emergency. But the Neapolitans want another Naples. It is not difficult to find new realities, much less known, being built in many ways, to resolve this serious problem.

The Committee Facciamo la differenza (We make a difference) is moving in this direction. Born in December 2010, at the opening of the Voluntary service Year organized by the European Union for the 2011, it was immediately given a lot to do to push the collection, especially among the segment of traders. 10 to the Direction and a variable number of volunteers who change from time to time based on interventions performed, the operations have focused on the separate waste collection of paper and old batteries, waste then taken to ecological landfill, thanks to the cooperation with Asia, the local company that handles waste. The first actions were carried out by about 40 students among university and high school students. The last, in Pianura (a zone of the city), is able to involve people of all ages. Thanks to the story of Giorgio Mennella, one of the leaders of the Committee, we learned that their cleverness is in being able to live among people, to involve them, at the same time interface with the institutions.

Apparently you have already established a strategy for action ...
«When we decide to take extraordinary collections, firstly we contact Asia and, after receiving clearance, we turn to the municipalities that support us in the dissemination of information, particularly with merchants. The day before we go to pick the points that will be involved to explain how we act and above all to have a chat».

Does staying with people pay?
«So far we have had good feedback from stakeholders. In to remove the waste, at the time of the leave, the situations is always the same. All people ask when we return».

What do you foresee for the future?
«We are working on a project that involves the neighborhood with a high density of Chinese citizens that are behind the station. This is a community that interacts poorly with the outside world and with the institutions. Beyond the new areas to be involved, the enthusiasm that we encountered was so strong that we are planning to draw up a proper fixed calendar collection».

Facciamo la differenza, a committee sponsored by the MEP Andrea Cozzolino, candidate for mayor of Naples, acts on the weak points of a context, characterized by a little information that citizens receive from their institutions, which sometimes makes use of inappropriate channels. Such a lack of information most likely ends up with increasing distrust and negative attitudes of citizens towards the institutional stakeholders. Mechanisms that once rooted become difficult to overcome.