Waste, more clarity is needed on separate collection

87% of Italians consider the abandonment of waste to be very serious, but 70% of those who mistakenly throw separable waste into the black bag say they do so because they "believe it is right". In fact, the most common errors occur with objects that one wants to get rid of but does not know where to throw away: on the podium are clothes and shoes (41%), then small electrical and electronic equipment, WEEE, (primarily electric toothbrushes and battery chargers). Doubts still remain about how to sort packaging, probably due to the cryptic information on labels: 12% of errors concern films and wrappings. Less critical is the situation of used batteries (only 8% end up in the bin).

This is the picture that emerges from the demoscopic survey carried out for Erion by Ipsos Doxa Italia, which maps the impact of communication on citizens' waste behaviour, and from the technical-scientific study carried out by Erion, which investigates which recyclable materials end up in undifferentiated urban waste. Results that, in both cases, show an Italy that is sensitive to the issue but not very informed or reactive, and from which the need to communicate more clearly operational instructions to citizens clearly emerges.

The results of the two studies are at the centre of an information campaign promoted by Erion, which presents itself as the most important non-profit extended producer responsibility multi-consortium system operating in Italy for the management of electronic end-of-life products, tobacco product waste and textile waste. Erion represents about 2,500 companies and operates through six sector consortia (Weee, Professional, Energy, Packaging, Care and Textiles) that provide producers with regulatory compliance services and coordination of waste management activities.

Going back to the survey and study presented, it clearly emerges that citizens have a high level of knowledge of the obligation to separate waste collection: 92% for spent batteries, 86% for WEEE, 77% for packaging, 71% for textiles. However, confirming the gap between knowledge and action, every year in Italy 0.12 kg per inhabitant (kg/inhabitant) of spent batteries are still thrown into the undifferentiated waste bin (compared to 0.06 collected by the official channel), 1.98 of small WEEE and as much as 17 kg/inhabitant of textile waste (compared to 2.74 kg/inhabitant collected correctly).

Italians ask for simple and close solutions, so that collection can take place along the paths of everyday life: for WEEE, 40% appreciate being able to leave them in shops without the obligation to buy an equivalent appliance ("one-for-zero" collection); for spent batteries, they prefer containers in supermarkets (49%); for textiles, shopping places are the most popular. Finally, the "cigarette case" has worrying profiles of inattention and carelessness. Nine out of ten Italians know that cigarette butts pollute, but 85% note that throwing them on the ground is still a very frequent gesture. The survey captures the citizens' request for specific containers in strategic places and pocket ashtrays.