Sicilian Region: the future of waste between “intelligent” bins, incinerators and 800 million in business.
Mayor Trantino did not make a gaffe, he only revealed what could already be understood from the choices of the regional waste plan, namely that the focus is exclusively on incinerators and not on separate waste collection. Just look at the data on separate waste collection in Palermo and Catania at 16% and 33% respectively.
Therefore, full steam ahead with the construction of the incinerators: one in Pantano d’Arci between Lentini and Catania and the other in Bellocampo, in the Palermo area. An 800 million euro deal that would literally ruin the effort of many citizens who instead try to separate waste collection to protect the environment and who would like waste to be transformed into a resource and not into a profit for the private companies that manage the landfills and that will build the incinerators.
The low collection percentages, in fact, do not depend on the population but on the poor organization and management of related services. Proof of this is the fact that in many Sicilian municipalities separate waste collection is a consolidated reality. In Longi, in the Messina area, it is as high as 92% but even in much more populous cities the percentages are now very high, in Marsala, with its 80,000 inhabitants, it is 78%; Ragusa and Agrigento at 70.5%; Enna and Trapani exceed 65%.
Therefore, with these percentages, if there was political will, a realistic circular economy (based on reduction, recycling and reuse) could be planned at a regional level, also capable of creating new and good jobs, safeguarding the environment.
However, at a regional level incineration and landfills are a business that we do not want to give up and this is demonstrated by the fact that in the update of the Regional Waste Plan a return to street bins is envisaged, although they are passed off as “intelligent”.
A method which, where applied, has never achieved high recycling percentages and which, like waste-to-energy plants (which are actually incinerators), is just a lexical embellishment to make fun of citizens and not say that it will end after a short time. , to the old and smelly bins.
Finally, a doubt assails us: but if we give all our intelligence to the bins for the drafters of the Regional Waste Plan, will it remain?
Alessandra Cappello, Regional Environment Manager
Nicola Candido, Regional Secretary of Sicily
Communist Refoundation Party – Sinistra Europe