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APR. MAY. 2019 VI MAGAZINE promote attitudes and encouraging action capable of changing the habits of consumers and citizens. Actions that we hope will spread successfully throughout the city.” The invitation to join the ‘Milano Plastic Free’ network, in fact, is extended to all public establishments and premises in Milan. INITIATIVES IN CINQUE TERRE The area of Cinque Terre (province of La Spezia) has also shown great sensitivity to this issue, and several municipalities have launched initiatives to combat the phenomenon of the disposal of plastic in the environment. Here are some testimonials: VINCENZO RESASCO, MAYOR OF VERNAZZA (SP) “Vernazza, which has 860 inhabitants, hosts millions of tourists in season. We are obviously very pleased with this activity, but it has a very strong impact on small towns like ours, especially with regard to the production of waste. For this reason, we have adopted strict policies on their management, and we have organized a door-to- door push, which allowed us to have 73% of separate waste collection. To reduce the disposal of plastic waste along the territory - which may end up in the sea - we have issued an Ordinance that, starting this year, obliges the administration to distribute bags and other disposable objects only in biodegradable and compostable material. The fairs will also have to adapt. Traders have proven to be sensitive to the problem and collaborative. We have also forbidden hikers to take plastic water bottles with them when they walk along the paths of the Cinque Terre National Park, replacing them with flasks. We have made arrangements with the landlords to distribute flasks to tourists, which can also be available at the access points to the park. Disposable plastic has also been banned on marinas, along with a ban on smoking and the dropping of cigarette butts.” EMANUELE MOGGIA, THE MAYOR OF MONTEROSSO (SP) “We have preferred to avoid Prohibition Ordinances and have adopted a rewarding approach to make people understand the importance of restricting the use of disposable plastics. Retailers who undertake to replace plastic items with biodegradable alternatives will get a discount on the municipal waste rate. This incentive is there to encourage them to overcome the initial difficulties associated with the transition to new materials. I also hope that our choice will be attractive to environmentally sensitive tourists. We have also planned some virtuous initiatives: as a municipality we will place small columns for the supply of treated drinking water and we will buy aluminium bottles to be distributed among the residents in order to stimulate them to take the water from the network.” STEFANO NICORA, PRESIDENT OF THE PRO LOCO OF MONTEROSSO AND THE OWNER OF THE BATHING ESTABLISHMENT “BAGNI ALGA” IN MONTEROSSO (SP) “I am involved in this initiative, both as a business owner and in a personal capacity. I’m glad that the town council has taken this decision, which we hoped for. Now we are comparing with the activity in the country and taking steps to find alternative suppliers of the disposable plastic for a variety of products and to obtain compactors to reduce the volume of waste products. This is the message that we will be launching in the next season. The biggest problem is the end user who is the most difficult to educate, but we believe that one way could be to make available to compactors who issue vouchers to those who give packaging at the end of life. It can also become a game to educate children.” A SUSTAINABLE FAIR Even the world of fairs shows attention to the issue. On the occasion of MISEN - The National Exhibition of Fairs, which took place in Ferrara on 30 and 31 March, one of the festivals present - the Feast of the Snail of Casumaro (Fe) - was proposed to the public as “plastic free”. “At the end of the last edition of the autumn,” says Matthew Govoni, one of the organizers, “we thought about the aspects that we could improve. And it occurred to us to take this step.” This fair is already good, because it uses ceramic plates, glassware and metal cutlery, but there were areas for improvement. “We are taking action,” he continues, “to replace the trays for French fries, straws, coffee stirrers, not to mention the glasses from which the staff drink: we will provide all those who work for the festival with personalised flasks, that will fill the bottles of water.” To simplify the step, the fact that today there are more and more alternative materials on the market. “The increase in supply,” he explains, “has led to a reduction in prices, which today are slightly higher than the plastic product.