BOLZANO. Beyond two hundred euro fine for throwing her severely disabled mother’s garbage into the recycling bins of the capital, since she lives outside the municipality of Bolzano. It happened to Stefania Bonimelli. Attempts to explain were in vain: video surveillance is relentless and bureaucracy has left out any ifs or buts. An episode that the person directly involved defines as “absolutely unjust and vexatious”.
«I would like to point out – Mrs Bonimelli said – that I have been a resident in the municipality of Appiano for a few years, but almost every day I go to visit my mother who lives in Bolzano in Viale Europa (Palasport area)». These frequent visits are due to the disability status of the elderly mother («certified at 80%») who, in addition to having cognitive deficits, also has severe walking difficulties«which do not allow her to carry out even the simplest activities and for this reason she is assisted by carers both day and night».
Often, the woman living in Appiano, “it happens that in the evening, after the usual visit, I take away some waste to be sent to the recycling bins”. However, considering, she goes further, “that recently one of our carers was robbed right near my mother’s house, I avoid stopping in the evening and load the waste into my car”.
The same thing happened on July 11, Bonimelli continues, «when in the early afternoon, on my way to work, I stopped in Viale Puccini (Palasport area) to deposit in the appropriate bins the waste collected the evening before by my mother». With deep civic sense, she adds, «I differentiate and dispose of in the appropriate bins».
Furthermore, he specifies, «my mother regularly pays all the taxes for disposal to the Municipality». This time, however, the unthinkable happened: «Following a video surveillance check, I was given a fine of over 200 euros in violation of the municipal regulation that prohibits non-residents from delivering “their waste” to the collection centers in Bolzano».
The woman informed herself properly, consulting article 32 point 10 of the regulation. At that point, she immediately sent a certified email citing the same reasons given above, “also attaching my mother’s disability certificate, confident that the relevant office would understand the situation and cancel the sanctioning measure”.
Unfortunately, this was not the case: “My observations were not considered well-founded and absurd reasons were given, such as the fact that the disposal was carried out in Viale Puccini and not in Viale Europa (but the regulation does not provide for a limitation on disposal in the bell towers under the house), that the 80% disability does not specifically attest to walking problems and the fact that there is no provision appointing me as guardian of my mother”.
“It is ridiculous – she believes – that in order to throw away the garbage the Municipality of Bolzano requires a protective measure, without any law providing for it”. The woman finds this attitude “vexatious and persecutory, since it should be the public body that proves the illegal behavior and not the citizen who has to demonstrate – I don’t even know how to do it – that he acted in full compliance with the rules”. The woman’s husband also telephoned the head of the office who signed the denial letter “who confirmed that he did not accept the request for cancellation because too many people from neighboring municipalities leave waste in Bolzano, therefore, in fact, the fine is not justified by my incorrect behavior, but by the inability of the Municipality to specifically hit the real offenders”.
Now, he concludes, “I will have no choice but to appeal to the courts with further costs and use of time and resources, which could also backfire against the administration itself if the judge deems my reasons well-founded. I hope that the mayor will also read and be able to intervene.”
2024-09-07 09:14:33