Municipal Survey Finds Housewives Open to Recycling and Waste Reduction

Not all housewives, the direct stakeholders, are aware of waste separation and recycling. While many do not put glass bottles in the trash bag to be thrown into designated bins, they rarely do the same with plastic containers.

However, everyone is aware of the existence of the orange-colored bins for collecting used clothing. These are the results from an investigation conducted by the municipal administration (particularly managed by the environmental councilor Fabrizio Miori) to assess how much waste can be reduced from landfill through pre-separation at home.

This initiative is part of a awareness campaign titled «The three Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle».

The mini-survey and awareness activities

“We don’t want to flop and waste public money,” says Miori, explaining the purpose of the mini-survey. “We deemed it essential to gauge the pulse of housewives, the women of the households, who are the ‘key players.’ The easiest way to meet them en masse was to position ourselves at supermarket entrances, where they go almost daily for shopping.”

Operators from the Ecostudio cooperative, in collaboration with the Agency for Environmental Protection, were tasked with this. They took turns standing outside stores. It went well: about 200 women of various ages and backgrounds, mainly due to different family compositions and personal habits, were interviewed.

The ladies responded to a questionnaire measuring their knowledge of the subject. The operator then briefly explained the benefits of waste separation and recycling, which impact both the environment and the household budget. Domestic composting, for example, is facilitated by free municipal assistance and can lead to a 30% savings on the annual waste tax.

Conclusions and future prospects

“Many housewives expressed willingness to collaborate,” concludes Councilor Miori. “Therefore, it is prudent to continue raising awareness, which still leaves much to be desired.”