A solidarity neighborhood in Turin: where nothing is wasted.

Let's try for a moment to imagine a world in which what I have to throw away could be used by those who need it and cannot afford to buy it. It would certainly be a zero-waste world, where poverty would be less virulent and widespread: every piece of waste would become a resource to be reintroduced into circulation, reducing the quantity of objects still in good condition abandoned in landfills and simultaneously allocating them to those in need, limiting the unmet needs of less well-off families or people living on the margins.

SOLIDARITY NEIGHBORHOOD

This isn't a utopia, it's a more than feasible idea, as in the case of the "zero waste neighborhood," created in Turin to be a neighborhood of solidarity, where everyone works to help those in need, relying on the gift economy and a real network for the recovery and donation of goods.

The project Mirafiori Quartiere A Spreco Zero is designed to be a meeting point between the supply of surplus goods and the demand from citizens who need them, In a solidarity chain whose members include citizens, businesses, retailers, and third-sector organizations, we facilitate the distribution of surplus goods and foster a culture of giving within the neighborhood's social fabric.

Mirafiori, on the southern outskirts of Turin, a neighborhood born to absorb the large number of workers who arrived in the wake of Fiat, a perfect example of Italy's industrialization. The perfect place for such a large-scale solidarity project, with its legacy of workers' cooperatives and mutual aid organizations. These, in a certain sense, have left echoes that resonate with the idea of ​​a neighborhood that gives to those in need according to need and donates according to ability: in the neighborhood, there are thirteen direct collection centers and another nineteen centers that handle their sorting.

TO KNOW MORE: A street fridge in Paris to help those in need and fight food waste.

MIRAFIORI ZERO-WASTE DISTRICT

The core business of the project is precisely this: citizens, commercial activities and market stalls in the district decide to to confer the surplus, or the used, at local collection centers, volunteers then collect the donations at the local collection centers and finally deliver them to people and families in difficulty, based on their needs. Donors can offer a range of goods divided into nine categories: packaged fresh and dry food, clothing, household products, books, toys, furniture, medical or sports equipment, bicycles, appliances, electronics, dishes, or utensils. Items can come from cellars and closets, used but in good condition, but also from unsold warehouse stock, food products that are still edible but unsellable because, for example, they are close to their expiration date, or unsold food at the end of the day.

The recipients of the donations are neighborhood residents who live in poverty or are temporarily experiencing difficult situations, such as indigence or precariousness. They can be referred by support and shelter associations, parishes, local social services branches and their assistance centers, or even community centers and family homes. The project's fundamental purpose is to strengthen the bond of community within the neighborhood, so those who receive donations in return commit to dedicating time to volunteering for the community. This is because Mirafiori Zero Waste District was created not only to recover surpluses and avoid wasting resources, but also to strengthen community bonds that are at risk of being lost.

A paper map of collection points and an app complete the tools volunteers use to navigate the neighborhood to match supply and demand. They provide information on the types of items available, where to drop them off based on their category, and can schedule a pickup or find out what's available in near-real time.

NEIGHBORHOOD WITHOUT WASTE

Simply, as the project manager, Roberta Molinar, explains, "if I want to donate a stroller that I no longer use, I go to a local centre suitable for collecting children's items, which will then be collected by volunteers and sorted." It is immediately passed on to those in need in case of urgent need, or, in the absence of a pressing and effective request, put on available via the app, of all the centers that are part of the system.

Promoted by the Miravolante community association, in collaboration with the Mirafiori Foundation, the Crescere Insieme Association, AICS Turin, Planet Smart City, and with the support of the Compagnia di San Paolo, this is a wonderful project for the profound sense of community it seeks to restore. Indeed, there are often difficult stories around us that we don't even know about, and even in the neighborhoods we live in every day, we can contribute to a better world.

(Featured image accompanying the text taken from italiachecambia.org// Photocredits: italiachecambia.org)

SOLIDARITY STORIES:

• Free Market: the free and fair trade market of the Xena association, dedicated to reuse and solidarity.
• OzHarvest, the anti-waste supermarket. Those who can, donate money or food. And those who can't, buy without paying (photo)
• Solidarity bakeries: wherever possible, donate bread to the poor every day. This prevents waste and helps those in need.