MILAN –The first CONAI data have been presented on the performance of waste sorting at the Expo. Conservation has also been demonstrated in terms of water and energy resources: 4,352 cubic metres of water and over 607 MWh of electrical energy saved. Significant figures have been reported by CONAI in relation to the amount of garbage collected in the first 30 days of Expo Milano 2015, which may be used to produce, for example: 199 coffee pots (aluminium), 17,031 fleece tops (PET), 506 benches (mixed plastics), 149 cupboards (wood), 4,168 wrenches (steel), 152,075 bottles (glass), 593,644 shoeboxes (paper and cardboard) and 17,584 kg of compost (organic), destined for the city’s green spaces.
Recycling Tube
The recent presentation of CONAI data has provided an opportunity to inaugurate the Recycling Tube installation, located near the China and Colombia pavilions and showing the journey undertaken by packaging once it becomes refuse: from the time it is deposited in the appropriate containers for waste sorting, to the actual recycling itself, carried out by 6 supply chain consortiums and ending with the creation (or reproduction) of a new product.
Italy needs to make strides forward in terms of quality
Participating in the inauguration were the Minister for the Environment, Gian Luca Galletti, the president of CONAI, Roberto De Santis and Gloria Zavatta, Sustainability Manager of Expo Milano 2015. When asked to comment on the inauguration, Minister Galletti affirmed: “In Italy we still have an Achilles heel: the 40% of rubbish which now ends up in landfill; an unacceptable waste of resources and a threat to the environment. The government want to steer the country towards the highest European standards, but to do so will first require a profound cultural revolution, starting by teaching kids in school and looking at our significant excellence in Italy with regard to the recovery and regeneration of materials”.
The awareness of Italians
Research commissioned by CONAI at Doxa Mardvice has finally reported how for 29% of Italians, the correct management of waste is a major challenge which outweighs other topics, such as the growth of renewable energy sources (14%), air pollution (10%) or the pollution of the subsoil (9%). According to 87% of Italians, the sorting of domestic waste is fundamental and now considered as a “daily routine”, on a par with other good habits, such as using more efficient lightbulbs and the correct disposal of lighting at the end of its lifecycle.
