Journal of Research in Environmental Science and Toxicology

Abstract

Terracina is a bath town of 46.000 inhabitants. In 2015 it became a Zero Waste Municipality with a Zero Waste Observatory. In the same year Terracina adopted the door-to-door collection reaching 59,17% of Recycling, while in 2016 it reached 73%, becoming the first “Comune Riciclone” of Latium. How was it possible to reach this important goal? It was possible because the local City Adminitration works together with citizens, local sanitation transfer station and associations. In order to improve Recycle the Municipality of Terracina created separate waste collection centres and an “Eco-point” at the harbour where fishermen can bring plastic fishing waste, it placed recycling bins in town, it adopted Junker app, it distributed free compost bins and it forsaw a waste awareness raising campaign. In this scenario Zero Waste activists have a leading role. We are daily engaged in Reducing, Reusing and Recycling. In 2016 we monitored and encouraged the separate collection in every school of our municipality, contributing to Terracina “Comune Riciclone”, and we promoted the campaigns for the use of the flasks in spite of plastic bottles; in 2017/18 we promoted the reduction of packaging in local bakeries and the
collection of plastic toys on Terracina beaches at the end of the summer. We organised important Zero Waste events and toy reuse markets in EWWR 2017. In order to sensitise students, teachers and families we organise Zero Waste training courses at school. Thanks to Zero Waste activists engagement the “Istituti Comprensivi” of Terracina are now all “Eco-schools”. That’s for all these reasons that I think we can talk about “The case Terracina” for what concerns Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Keywords

Recycle, Reuse, Reduce, Zero Waste.

Introduction

Terracina is a seaside town of 46.000 inhabitants situated at 100 km to the south of Rome in Latium. In 2015 it became a Zero Waste Municipality with a Zero Waste Observatory and in the same year Terracina adopted the door-to-door collection.

In the following years Terracina reached very important ecological goals because the local City Administration worked together with citizens, local sanitation transfer station and environmental associations. Our local City Administration adopted different mesures to Recycle, Reuse and Reduce, also thanks to new technologies.

Methodology

In order to improve RECYCLE the Municipality of Terracina together with De Vizia, the local sanitation transfer, distributed to the families and traders 5 bins for the doorto- door collection. They also created separate waste collection centres. On Saturday there are itinerant ecoislands throughout the territory of the town and at Borgo Hermada there is a permanent eco-island.

Recentely an Eco-point was placed at Terracina harbour where fishermen can bring plastic fishing waste. Every day they fish plastic and other waste, if they bring them to the Eco-point it is possible to recycle them, to reduce plastic in the sea and to obtain tax relief.

The Municipality of Terracina together with De Vizia also placed recycling bins in town where it is possible to throw separately plastic and metals (yellow), paper (blue), glass (green), unsorted waste (grey), cigarette butts and old batteries.

Since 2015 our Municipality and De Vizia distributed free compost bins in order to allow home composting and in 2018 Terracina adopted Junker app https://itunes.apple.com/ it/app/junker-raccolta-differenziata/id982194860?mt=8 which allows a correct separate collection of many products in commerce. Thanks to a simple photo and GPS location it is also possible to point out littering to the Municipality and De Vizia.

Furthemore, our Municipality together with De Vizia promoted a waste awareness raising campaign by local and international events and actions.

In order to teach a correct separate collection to the primary schools people our Municipality offered them an ecological comic book and an ecological game. It is important to point out that primary schools in Terracina abolished plastic tableware and now they all use compostable tableware or dishes of clay in the canteen.

In this scenario Terracina Zero Waste activists have a leading role. We are daily engaged in Reducing, Reusing and Recycling. For this purpose we are in contact with many Italian Zero Waste activists and we recognize the leading role of our Zero Waste Italy and Europe President Rossano Ercolini, our International Zero Waste President Paul Connett and Contarina of Treviso, the first Italian district in Recycling, Reducing and Reusing (Rossano E, 2014., Paul C etal 2012).

Regarding RECYCLE, in 2016, as a member of Terracina Zero Waste Observatory, with other Zero Waste activists I monitored and encouraged the separate collection in every school of our municipality. In the school where I teach (the “Scuola Secondaria di I grado” of “Istituto Comprensivo Milani Terracina”), I weekly check separate collection and every year I teach a course of Environmental Education for 11 years old students (Charles M and Cassandra P, 2013).

Regarding REUSE and WASTE REDUCTION, as Zero Waste Activists we promoted the campaigns for the use of flasks in spite of plastic bottles above all at school. This permitted the reduction of plastic packaging at school and a wealthy way to drink. For this purpose in 2018 our Municipality together with De Vizia offered flasks to the students. At school we organized a toy, t-shirt and book reuse markets for 2017 EWWR (European Week for Waste Reduction). In this way books, clothing and other objects found a second life instead of ending up in a landfill ( Roberto C, 2011).

Results

In 2015, when Terracina adopted the door-to-door collection, it reached 59,17% of Recycling, but in 2016 it reached 73%, becoming the first “Comune Riciclone” of Latium, and in 2017 it reached 71%, becoming the second “Comune Riciclone” of Latium. In the same years the rubbish collection decreased to 320 kg per inhabitant and unsorted waste decreased to 88 kg per inhabitant.

Since 2015 Terracina also reduced plastic waste. At present every inhabitant produces 21 kg of plastic waste, but it is possible to further reduce it in the following way: 1) abolishing plastic disposable tableware in commercial establishments; 2) abolishing plastic bottles in vending machines; 3) abolishing plastic bottles and disposable tableware in official meetings; 4) promoting the sale of filtered water in commercial establishments; 5) reducing the sale of snacks with plastic packaging; 6) promoting Mater-B tableware in food festivals and local events. Such actions will be possible when Terracina will be a Plastic free Municipality in 2021.

Conclusion

I’m convinced that awareness and practical examples are basic to increase citizenship and an ecological and Zero Waste lifestyle, so as a Zero Waste activist I sensitize students and citizens to Recycle, Reduce and Reuse by means of environmental and Zero Waste courses and clean up actions, like “Let’s Clean Up Europe” and many others. Every time all the events and actions mentioned above engaged many students and citizens.

In conclusion, as a Zero Waste activist and ecological referent of my school I gave many examples of good practice that have been already achieved in Terracina. That’s why we can talk about “The case Terracina” for what concerns Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

References

Rossano E (2014). Non bruciamo il futuro. La mia battaglia per l’ambiente, una nuova politica, il futuro dell’Italia. Garzanti Milano.

Paul C, Rossano E, Patrizia Lo S (2012). Rifiuti Zero una rivoluzione in corso. Dissensi.

Charles M, Cassandra P (2013). L’oceano di plastica. La lotta per salvare il mare dai rifiuti della nostra civiltà.

Roberto C (2011). Meno 100 chili. Ricette per la dieta della nostra pattumiera..