Door-to-door collection at the Holy Family, Legambiente: "Enough political exploitation."

"The expansion of door-to-door collection in the Sacra Famiglia neighborhood seems to be accompanied by the usual series of controversies, often specious, which have also occurred in other areas of the city where the system has existed for years and, contrary to popular belief, works." This is how Legambiente Padova is trying to "silence" the chorus of opponents of waste collection.

Legambiente Padova states: "The door-to-door collection system, already adopted by nearly 80% of the Veneto population, has allowed our region to achieve first place in Italy for the quality of separate waste collection, leveraging a collection method that rewards citizen responsibility and involvement. According to the Comune Ricicloni Veneto report, in municipalities with extensive door-to-door collection and well-structured collection centers, the percentage of impurities in the collection is between 1 and 2%, a percentage that tends to increase rapidly when collection methods are mixed or only at street level."

Legambiente adds: "Padua suffers from a high production of residual urban waste per inhabitant, 207 kg, and of waste for disposal: 233 kg/inhabitant_eq. These figures are certainly influenced by the presence of a large hospital, one of the largest student populations in Italy, and a large industrial area, but they do not justify the recent stalemate in improving separate waste collection performance, which must be resolved. And the extension of the door-to-door system, which has been stalled since its introduction in Arcella Est (2021), is a fundamental tool for this to happen, also considering the 80% target by 2030, set by the Regional Waste Plan and incorporated into the Climate City Contract presented to the European Commission. Since 2011, the year door-to-door collection arrived in the first neighborhoods, after its introduction in the historic center, the percentage of separate waste collection has increased from just over 40 to 64.5% in 2023 (latest data collected by Arpav). Punctual and responsible door-to-door waste collection clearly works, as demonstrated by the increase of over 20%, despite the continued negative narrative from some protesters."

Francesco Tosato, president of Legambiente Padova, emphasizes: "Rather than making a positive contribution to the system's implementation in new neighborhoods across the city, some prefer to stand in the way and fan the flames of protest, fueled by often completely unfounded concerns," says Francesco Tosato. "And it's particularly surprising that the strongest supporters are the same political forces that, both at the regional and national levels, praise responsible systems like door-to-door collection and pay-as-you-throw systems. It's unclear why this can't be done in Padua, even by adopting specific adjustments to make the system more efficient based on the characteristics of the area, as is currently happening at the Sacra Famiglia. The expansion of door-to-door collection to the entire city must be supported, not hindered, regardless of political affiliation, including by focusing on raising awareness and educating citizens, who, with this system, become key players in the waste cycle and therefore must be properly supported to help make Padua healthier and more livable."