Waste Recycling

Silvia Cavaniglia is a 46-year-old woman with a smile that exudes optimism, determination, and a strong desire to do things, not just for herself. A truly special character. Every morning, Silvia opens her stall, number 95, at the market in Rome 's Trionfale neighborhood , where you can find quality fish, meat, and fruit at reasonable prices, and does something very simple, yet equally beneficial for everyone: she buys junk.

That is, behind her counter, she's ready to pay in cash anyone who brings in waste that's difficult to dispose of, or who doesn't want to. Plastic water bottles, soda cans , bottle caps , detergent containers , used clothes . Even used oil , which when it ends up inappropriately in a sink, causes enormous damage to the environment. In short: at box 95 of the Trionfale market, local residents, as well as any Roman resident or tourist, can drop off their garbage, knowing it will be recycled and go to the right place.

ALSO READ: Recycled Park, the floating park in the Netherlands made entirely from recycled plastic waste. Brave kids (photos)

SILVIA CAVANIGLIA

So, the benefits of Silvia's initiative are numerous, and all are worth sharing, in keeping with the Non sprecare philosophy. First advantage: less garbage to collect and dispose of , something we've been repeating for a long time now. Second advantage: everything falls into place . That is, if you don't feel like going to a recycling center to drop off your used frying oil in the designated bins, thanks to the "Waste Lady," you can sell it and give it to her.

Silvia, in turn, once she purchases the garbage, simply sorts it , compacts it , and resells it to companies that, by recycling the waste, can then create new products. You, the readers of our site, already know that the chain of this part of the circular economy is very long and virtually endless. Some people turn plastic bottles into clothing , even high-fashion ones. Used oil becomes biodiesel. Coca-Cola cans contain aluminum, which is worth 0,10 cents per kilo, while clean copper costs 1 euro and brass 0,40 cents.

Not to mention plastic bottle caps. You can make necklaces out of them, and you can even generously fund projects to build wells in Africa . As for used clothes, there are various ways to recycle them. They can be resold, passed on to those in need, and then donated, or reused to make other garments.

TO KNOW MORE: When waste becomes a resource. For everyone. Read about it in this book.

WASTE RECYCLING

The most unusual, and even extraordinary, aspect of this story, one many could imitate, is contained in Silvia Cavaniglia's biography. She worked for over 10 years in a satellite cooperative of AMA, the municipal company that manages garbage collection and disposal in Rome, one of Italy's most unfortunate cities for street waste. Therefore, Silvia knows everything about the system and its weaknesses: she is familiar with the devastation of Rome's open-air landfills , she is aware of the inefficiencies of the municipal service , but she also knows how significantly its citizens contribute to the capital's filth, which has been accumulating for years. Those whom Silvia helps in some way, by offering money for their waste.

ALSO READ: Plastic recycling and absurd laws: a plastic plate can be reused, but a fork cannot. Despite this, recycling in Italy has increased sixfold (photo)

NONSOLORIFIUTI.IT

Furthermore, to go viral and spread her extraordinary experience, the woman created her own startup, Nonsonorifiuti.it , where you can sign up to participate in the operation. Will Silvia become rich from the waste trade? Will she benefit from this slice of the circular economy and her passion, combined with so much courage? Difficult. But the ways of the Lord are infinite, and if one day we learned that Silvia Cavaniglia has made so much money with her startup, we could only say: "Congratulations and thank you." Meanwhile, always smiling, she offers her customers, the waste sellers, two options: they can collect the money for the garbage they deliver, or donate the proceeds to charity . Isn't that the height of good imagination?

( The images are taken from the Facebook page dedicated to the initiative Nonsonorifiuti.it )

HOW MANY USEFUL ITEMS ARE OBTAINED BY RECYCLING GARBAGE:

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