All residents in Italy are asked to report waste from beverage packaging abandoned in the environment on the ABR Radar WebApp, created by supporters of the ‘A Buon Rendere’ campaign to promote the introduction of the deposit system with deposit on bottles, cans and other disposable beverage containers. (1) Here’s why and how to participate.
ABR Radar, the Italian littering map
The ABR Radar app it is accessible to anyone. Just register on the website https://buonrendere.it/abr-radar/ and indicate:
- the place of discovery,
- the type of beverage container (pet bottle, can, etc.), e
- the brand of the product.
You contribute thus to build a map of waste of this kind that is abandoned in unsorted waste bins or, even worse, in the environment (littering). That is, on streets, pavements and other public places including gardens and beaches.
The information are periodically developed to show the different faces of littering and raise awareness among the sector industry – involved by citing the brand of packaging that has been lost or not sent for recycling on the app – regarding the need to support the introduction of a system in Italy of a security deposit for drinks, also by joining the A Buon Rendere campaign.
Deposit Return Scheme (DRS)
The elimination of packaging for drinks abandoned in the environment and their reduction tout court it is in fact only possible through the introduction of a deposit system (Deposit Return Scheme, DRS), as demonstrated by the positive experience of the 15 EU Member States that have already adopted it. (2,3)
The system is simple, includes a surcharge which is recovered when the packaging is returned. And it is amply demonstrated that it does not have a negative impact on soft drink sales, as we have seen. (4)
7 billion containers thrown away
Italy boasts a packaging and waste recycling rate that places it at the top of the European ranking. (5) Nonetheless, it is estimated that over 7 billion beverage containers escape recycling. A large part of them are improperly abandoned with significant damage to the environment, fauna and the economy of entire sectors such as tourism, fishing, agriculture and livestock farming.
Further damage occurs when such waste is thrown into unsorted waste bins and bins. ‘Local authorities bear 100% of the costs of collection and disposal of both undifferentiated waste and waste dispersed throughout the territory. We are therefore talking about the costs due to the removal of the so-called littering (dispersed waste) in urban areas or in any case pertaining to the municipality, of emptying street bins (often overflowing with drink containers as well as take-away waste) which all end up being disposed of in incinerators and landfills‘, recalls the expert Silvia Ricci, coordinator of the A Buon Rendere Campaign.
The petition
In countries where the Deposit Return Scheme is in force it is very rare to find abandoned beverage packaging. Their restitution in fact has an economic value. In Italy, on the contrary, it is enough to observe urban baskets, bins and bins to realize that – after 25 years – the current system must be improved and updated to the new reality of consumption which has seen both food delivery and consumption increase in recent years. on the go.
‘The only tool what has proven to be able to significantly reduce the presence of drink containers in littering is precisely the presence of a security deposit system. What guarantees collection rates of up to 98% is the monetary incentive of the deposit which is redeemed only by returning the container. And this, in addition to guaranteeing their introduction into recycling paths (e.g. for plastic and cans) or reuse (for suitable materials, such as glass) – maximizing circularity in the use of resources – is also a powerful tool for preventing their dispersion in the environment, as shown by the evidence from all the countries (now the majority in the EU) in which this tool has already been adopted‘, (Enzo Favoino, A Buon Rendere Campaign, Scientific Coordination).
To share these goals are easy. Simply participate in ABR Radar and sign the petition for the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme in Italy. (6)
Marta Strinati
Footnotes
(1) Marta Strinati. Security deposit system for beverage bottles. The campaign of the Virtuous Municipalities. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 13.3.22
(2) Marta Strinati. Deposit Return Scheme, the danish excellence in the recycling of beverage packaging. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 13.2.23
(3) Dario Dongo. Deposit with bail on bottles and cans, the Lithuanian example. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 23.2.20
(4) Marta Strinati. Deposit and Deposit Systems, DRS, do not reduce beverage sales. The study. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 27.7.23
(5) Marta Strinati. Packaging and waste recycling, Italy’s primacy in the EU. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 16.12.22
(6) The link to sign the petition is https://buonrendere.it/partecipa/
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
