Municipalities that reward citizens who recycle well

HOW TO SAVE MONEY WITH RECYCLING

I waste in Italy they have always been a problemThe news is full of cases of emergencies that have caused real environmental disastersThe main causes are to be found in the use of landfills and undifferentiated waste disposal, a twentieth-century legacy that has allowed the proliferation of corruption and inefficiencies. Waste disposal, in fact, has for too long been a lucrative business for speculation to the detriment of citizens. In recent years, however, the trend has begun to reverse, with more and more municipalities implementing policies that reward good citizen behavior and innovative projects.. Thus today, throughout Italy, administrations shine brightly, excelling internationally in the recycling and reuse sectors.

ALSO READ: Recycling: We're the uncivilized ones. This explains the chasm between the various regions.

MUNICIPALITIES THAT SAVE MONEY WITH RECYCLING

From a widespread diffusion of the door-to-door collection, to the systems of punctual charging, through local prevention policies, here are the municipalities around the Peninsula that have distinguished themselves for initiatives that have made cities cleaner and citizens more satisfied. Also thanks to a significant reduction in taxes, because the right rule, for everyone, should be this: He who makes less mess, pays less.

• AGENDA NEWS

BORGOSESIA 

This municipality in the province of Vercelli is characterised by hilly and mountainous areas, but despite the logistical difficulties a plan has been put in place door-to-door collection of paper and cardboard in households and packaging in highly successful commercial activities. So much so that he deserved it for 2016 "the award as a Recycling Municipality"for the best paper and cardboard collection in all of Northern Italy. To achieve this goal, communication campaigns have been launched across the region to raise awareness of the importance of waste separation, with specific environmental education programs aimed at children.

• LOMBARDY

VARESE 

Producing less waste also means waste less food, the primary good par excellence that more than anything else is particularly hateful to let end up in the garbage. In this regard, in this legislature, the deputy Maria Chiara Gadda successfully fought for the approval of the law against food waste"The goal," Gadda declared, "is to encourage donations of surplus food and at the same time promote education and awareness, not only among children but also among adults." Because, according to the MP, There are really many bad habits that are too widespread, Such as confusing the expiry date with the date of the indication of useThe latter, in fact, warns the consumer that the product may lose some characteristics but does not mean it should be thrown away.Promote good practices to achieve a real cultural revolution that also involves incentives for citizens according to the principle of those who refuse less, save more”. In the wake of this law, the municipality of Varese, the honorable's homeland, will launch an awareness initiative on February 27th in collaboration with 7 restaurants. In these establishments it will be possible to use the doggy bag, the classic bag that you can take home with the leftover food from a meal so it doesn't get thrown awayA practical and useful way to break down that senseless wall of embarrassment that often prevents us from asking to have uneaten food wrapped. Finally, in this Lombard municipality, the administration is also working on a new law for the waste pricing based on time which will be implemented after a period of study of the best models on the national field.

• VENETO

CONEGLIANO, VITTORIO VENETO AND ODERZO 

Proper waste disposal isn't just a civic duty; it can also be a way to earn money. The residents of these three Veneto towns, in fact, have the annual waste tax paid and discounts on the electricity bill in exchange for proper recycling of the plastic bottlesTo achieve this, simply use the special incentive recyclers made available by the project "Equation – You recycle, I pay youThis unique initiative seeks to encourage separate waste collection and the recovery of waste materials by rewarding citizens. For each PET bottle disposed of correctly, they receive a bonus in euros that can be used for purchases at participating stores and supermarkets or spent through the 2Pay app, which simplifies the payment process and reduces transaction costs.

BRIDGE IN THE ALPS 

The municipality in the province of Belluno is among the "recycling champions in Italy"The “green” revolution began in 2007, when in eight months the street bin service was dismantled and replaced with a door-to-door one. To make taxation as close as possible to consumption, the municipality has established a punctual rate, that is, a distinction between a fixed portion, determined by the costs of the service, and a variable portion, proportional to the quantity of waste accumulated. Today in Ponte nelle Alpi over 90 percent of the waste is differentiated with enormous benefits for the environment and for the municipal coffers. The money saved by optimizing the service, in fact, has been reinvested in hiring new resources, so from five employees in 2006, we have increased to 15 in 2016, who are responsible for separate waste collection, management of the recycling center, street sweeping and street cleaning.

• TUSCANY

MASSAROSA

In this small town always at the forefront on thegreen economy and on the services provided to citizens, the discount on the tax waste It combines with the possibility of improving other areas of municipal intervention. The administration's proposal is as follows: The garbage tax is reduced by up to 50 percent for those who are willing to prune trees, clean flowerbeds and all the green spaces in the townHere the anti-waste advantage is twofold. The citizen certainly saves money and carries out an activity of great civic value; the municipality gives up an income, with the reduction of the waste tax, but only in theory, because in the meantime it reduces an expense for maintenance of the urban green.

LUCCA

For some years now, citizens they pay taxes on waste collection and disposal based on how much they produce. Monitoring, which responds to the philosophy of "you pay for what you consume”, was made possible by chip which have been applied to the bags dedicated to separate waste collection. This way, waste is traceable and the administration knows how and when each citizen disposes of it. Furthermore, those who waste less waste, by minimizing the burden on the disposal chain, pay lower waste taxes, meaning they save money. Conversely, wasteful people are penalized in tax terms.

• LAZIO

BASSIAN

A truly interesting initiative has been launched in this town in the province of Latina. Thanks to the project "Bassiano...it differs"the municipality has equipped itself with a composter community that transforms organic waste into fertilizer for thegarden. In fact, all waste of this type is recovered and transformed into natural fertilizer. with considerable advantages for the community, first of all the possibility of applying a rapid "physical" reduction in the volume of waste sent to landfill (approximately 70 percent)The project also includes an educational component with the provision of a themed board game for the children. children and informative-educational calendars for adults.

FORMELLO

In recent years, the municipality in the province of Rome has promoted a progressive increase in separate waste collection, achieving excellent results. This is due to the commitment of the municipality and its citizens, but also to theintroduction of barcode customized on contributionsThis innovative initiative, which is gradually being adopted by more and more municipalities, It allows waste monitoring, rewarding virtuous citizens to the detriment of those who are less careful about separate waste collection..

• CAMPANIA

SALERNO

In the capital of Campania the challenge of separate waste collection has been won diapers, despite the fact that it is a difficult and difficult waste to recycle. For years, however, the administration has availed itself of the collaboration of the Matter of Pescara (owner of the Pampers, Lines, and Tampax brands, among others), which has allowed the recovery of approximately 150 kilograms of sterilized plastic and 350 kilograms of cellulose, ready for reuse, from every ton of diapers collected. To encourage citizens to collect them, The municipality has lowered the urban waste tax based on the quantity of diapers disposed of instead of put in the binA discount that applies not only to Salerno but also to many other municipalities in the province, and which approximately 300 Campanians can benefit from.

• CALABRIA

STRONGOLI

In the town in the province of Crotone in 2016 the eco-point where plastic bottles, aluminum bottles and cans they turn into discounts at numerous local businesses. The agreement was signed between the municipal administration and the Garby company and provides for the installation of two multimedia points for recycling plastic materials. To receive the discounts, residents simply go to the machine and insert their bottles and containers. In exchange, they receive a receipt with the eco-points earned, which can be accumulated and immediately spent at participating businesses.

TAURIANOVA 

This municipality in the province of Reggio Calabria, according to Legambiente data, in 2016 recorded a 50 percent increase in separate waste collection compared to the previous yearThe feat was made possible thanks to targeted user awareness interventions, who took full advantage of the new door-to-door collection system. To understand the significance of this achievement, consider that the per capita collection rate stood at approximately 23 kilograms per inhabitant, compared to the Calabria region average of eight.

• BASILICATA

ATELLA

In this small town in Lucania, in the province of Potenza, a project has been started green project which transforms waste into medicines and more. In Atella, in fact, waste materials, if recycled correctly, are transformed into Environmental BonusThe project called #differenziAMA, born from the idea of ​​Ama Utility, the municipal company that manages waste sorting, and consists of paying €0,20 for every kilogram of properly sorted material. Glass, plastic, paper: all materials eligible for citizens to receive an Environmental Bonus, which translates into cash, credited to a credit card. With the money collected, families can purchase food, basic necessities for Caritas, medicines, or even pay for services, such as a school bus pass.

• SARDINIA

Olbia

In this Sardinian city, they decided to improve waste sorting with the help of smartphones. In mid-2016, in fact, a smartphone app was launched.app with  where citizens can send reports on non-collection of rubbish, on abandoned waste, damaged containers, and poor street cleaning. With the app, called "App De Vizia Olbia," you can also sign the report and attach a photo.

SASSARI 

Good management of the waste It also involves awareness campaigns. In Sassari, for example, the city's university launched a competition among students at the beginning of 2017 to create a slogan for separate waste collectionThe competition will award the three best ideas: €1.000 for the winning idea, €500 for the second-place winner, and a commemorative plaque for the third-place winner. The goal is to reduce the impact that waste has on the region's environmental economy. Suffice it to say that the University, in terms of waste alone, plastic bottles, consumes 1,6 million pieces per year.

• PUGLIA

BARI 

The mayor of Bari, Antonio Decaro, since this summer, every now and then, he takes off his white shirt and puts on the street cleaner's overallsThe goal is to expose citizens who don't properly separate their waste and persist in throwing it all together. Once the culprits are identified, heavy fines are imposed, because this also encourages civic duty. "To lead this battle of civility," the mayor explained in a recent interview, "I had to divide the citizens into good and bad. The good, those who have allowed us to double the recycling, have a duty to report it." Furthermore, for a few months now, there have been signs of two cars equipped with cameras ready to capture waste offendersThese are two unmarked municipal police cars that drive through the neighborhoods and peripheral areas of Bari We're chasing down uncivilized people who dispose of waste after hours or leave bulky bags on the ground outside the bins. For now, it's an experiment, but it could soon be adopted on a permanent basis.

TO KNOW MORE: I Don't Refuse, a music-driven campaign promoting waste sorting (video)