Is Capannori in Italy a zero-waste city?

DW (English)

Zero-waste has long been a part of everyday life in Capannori. The Tuscan town has been recycling the large majority of its waste for years. That also includes furniture, bikes and clothing.

Transcript

00:00500 kilos of trash per person, per year.

00:05That's the European average.

00:08And the waste piles up every day.

00:11But one town in Italy is saying stop and showing us there's another way.

00:16We're a family of five, three kids, two adults.

00:20We produce about three bags of waste each year.

00:23That's around 30 kilos.

00:2830 kilos a year? It might sound unbelievable.

00:31But in the Tuscan town of Capanori, families living almost waste-free is normal.

00:36Step by step, using a system that Martina lives by.

00:40This is the bin for waste.

00:44Everything that can't be recycled ends up here.

00:48For example, these cotton pads I use at work.

00:52Unfortunately, these disposable rubber gloves are also waste.

00:57I also need those for my work.

01:00The same principle extends to the furnishings.

01:03Nothing new, everything is reused.

01:05All part of becoming a zero-waste family.

01:08The mattress, the bed frame, and this closet came from a house in town that was being renovated.

01:17They called us and asked us for help and gave us this wardrobe.

01:21It's from the 1920s.

01:23Giving things a second chance is a lovely idea, and it should be more than a theory.

01:28It should be a way of life.

01:30Behind the Capanori revolution is Rosano Eccolini.

01:38Here, waste is regularly weighed and sampled.

01:41He's interested in what's left over.

01:4386.5% of Capanori's waste is already being recycled, thanks to a door-to-door collection system.

01:50To him, trash isn't waste.

01:52It's a design flaw.

01:55Zero waste means repair, reuse, analyse.

02:00The average citizen can recycle.

02:03But if something can't be recycled, the responsibility lies with the manufacturer.

02:08It's a design flaw.

02:10Products should be made to be recyclable or reusable, not tossed as trash.

02:18His research centre studies waste.

02:20Any items that show up too often as waste ends up on a list, and the research centre contacts the manufacturer.

02:27Companies often respond, interested in working together to find recyclable alternatives.

02:32After all, if waste is a mistake, it can be fixed.

02:37Here are 107 products that we can say are either easily recyclable, partly recyclable, or sensibly reusable.

02:49That's how it should be.

02:5246,000 people live in Capanori.

02:56Each household sorts their garbage in different bags and places them by the front door.

03:00Waste collectors also check if they have been sorted properly.

03:04These warehouses at the edge of town show us what zero waste living looks like.

03:08The municipality has six, right next to the recycling centre.

03:12Here, clothes, furniture and much more are given a second life, with the help of Annalisa Paci, from De Capo.

03:18What looks like trash is actually a valuable resource.

03:25People donated items directly to us.

03:28Unfortunately, about 10% of it winds up in the landfill.

03:32The rest, though, 90%, gets a new life, either through free redistribution or the social thrift store.

03:41What looks like a warehouse is a treasure trove for thrift store lovers.

03:49Items here get a second life, so do the staff.

03:52Currently, there are 30 employees working here.

03:55More than 100 families a year benefit directly from the project.

03:59If they meet our criteria, people with low incomes can take what they need for free.

04:10While there are social benefits, it's a concrete measure against climate change.

04:16When I repair something, I don't need new raw materials for it.

04:21And there's no manufacturing pollution.

04:25Rosano Ercolini has a clear vision of how to become almost completely waste-free.

04:30The next big plan? A facility that can even recycle diapers, with funding from Brussels.

04:36The goal here is to continue reducing the mountain of trash.

04:40And that's good for the wallet, because less waste means lower costs.

04:44Capanori has the lowest waste fees of any mid-sized municipality in Tuscany.

04:55More than 300 cities in Europe are already following this example.

04:59Capanori might be the first, but it certainly won't be the last zero waste city.

Category

Transcript

Recommended