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Contarina
Contarina is responsible for the waste collection management of fifty municipalities in the Province of Treviso (Italy) through an integrated system, based on the circular economy model, involving waste from production to collection, treatment and recovery, generating a positive impact on the environment as well as on the lives of the citizens. It has been recognized by the European Commission as a European best practice, where a per capita residual waste generation of 55 kg/inh/year and a recycling rate of 85% have been achieved. In February 2016 European Commissioner Vella mentioned Contarina as an example to be replicated.
The company’s daily objectives aim to increase the percentage of separate collection, to reduce the amount of waste produced, to raise the quality of the collected recyclable material, and to improve the service offered, optimising the cost-benefit ratio. These objectives are pursued through a commitment to raising awareness of citizens with regards to environmental protection and sustainable development.
Contarina SpA is considered as an innovator in the development and implementation of solutions for the environment and its protection. In the interest of citizens and municipalities (50) it stimulates the communities to re-examine their relationship with resources and reduce waste production to a minimum.
Contarina provides the following services:
- waste collection and enhancement through resource recovery;
- recovery plants, system and remediation management;
- environmental education in schools;
- information and training on environmental sustainability for families and businesses;
- consultancy and innovative projects.
Franco Zanata, President of Contarina SPA , gives us more information on its activities regarding sustainable resource management.
ACR+: In 2013, the 50 mayors of the municipalities served by Contarina signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ambitious goal of effectively zero waste (at least 96.7% recycled) and 10kg of residual waste per person per year by 2022. How are you working towards this?
F.Z.: In order to achieve this goal, our territory needs to reduce its overall consumption of resources and to source and use resources in a way that is equitable and ethical. Where waste is produced it should be prepared for reuse or recycled using closed loop methods in order that ecological and carbon footprint reductions are optimised.
The MoU seeks to achieve more than the sustainable management of resources alone. There are massive opportunities for the creation of green jobs in the expanding secondary materials sector. It is not only about the creation of green jobs in our territory but also about the retention and re-circulation of wealth within the local economy. This will only happen if we collect clean materials carefully and present them to the market in the way wanted by reprocessors and ensuring that they are willing to pay optimal prices for it.
Thus, the approach that we are following pushes forward four key areas:
- Waste prevention – to reinforce the important role of Contarina engaging with householders and communities to reduce waste put out for collection, thus helping to meet environmental outcomes, increasing opportunities for enhancing social wellbeing through waste reuse and reducing the costs of waste collection and management.
- Preparing for reuse – to ensure that a far greater proportion of wastes collected by the company is “prepared for reuse”, in order to meet environmental outcomes, increase opportunities for enhancing social wellbeing through involvement in reuse activities and reduce the costs of waste management.
- Recycling collection service delivery improvements – to deliver sustainable development outcomes in a cost effective way and work towards the new waste recycling targets.
- Sustainable treatment and disposal – to deliver sustainable treatment and disposal of municipal waste in a cost effective way and work towards the targets set
ACR+: And more concretely, which activities are being developed to give life to this approach?
F.Z.: Contarina has been engaged in projects and activities aimed at maximizing the recovery of harvested waste and re-utilizing waste to generate second raw materials, with a view to better manage sustainable resource and create circular economy. An example of a concrete project that is already implemented thanks to important economic investments and partnerships is the realization of the new diaper recycling plant created by Fater in collaboration with Contarina. After an initial test, the structure, made on an industrial scale, was inaugurated on 25 October 2017. This is an unicum at an international level, that represents the technological and innovative Italian excellence that can turn non-recyclable waste, such as diapers, into high-value-added materials ready to be used in new production processes.
The second major economic investment project, launched last year, consists of expanding the composting plant in Trevignano, which will also enable the production of biogas and later biomethane to be used for the supply of means used in the door-to-door collection service. This new facility, equipped with technologies that allow a maximum recovery of waste, will handle all the organic crops in our 50 Municipalities for the production of quality compost. Also for next year we will continue to invest in projects and technologies to optimize services. In fact, we are renowned because the system rewards diligent citizens who differentiate their waste as the tariff is calculated based on the amount of non-recyclable waste product produced, putting into practice the Polluter Pays Principle.
ACR+: The inauguration of the diapers recycling plant in October 2017 drew indeed a lot of attention. How many tonnes of diapers are you expecting to treat with it?
F.Z.: The plant will demonstrate the industrial-scale efficiency of the technology created by Fater in collaboration with Contarina (which hosts and manages it). It can process 10,000 tonnes of used absorbent hygiene products per year and serving around one million consumers. It is the world’s first industrial-scale plant capable of recycling virtually 100% of used absorbent hygiene products (baby diapers for infants, sanitary napkins for incontinence and menstruation) and transforming them into secondary raw materials such as plastic, cellulose and absorbing material reached.
These new secondary raw materials are of high quality and can be used in many new productions. One tonne of absorbent hygiene products waste can yield, after the separation of human waste, around 150 kg of cellulose, 75 kg of mixed plastic, and 75 kg of absorbing material that can be used in new products and processes, giving new life to used diapers.
To discover more about Contarina you can visit www.contarina.it or contact Marco Mattiello, Project Manager at Contarina, comunicazione@contarina.it.
Each month, the "Eye on members" section presents more in details a current member of ACR+ and its activities. If you would like to be included in an upcoming "Eye on members", please contact Gaëlle Colas (gc@acrplus.org).