Desenzano’s Waste Recycling 2022: Key Data and Future Initiatives
Images and habits of a city filtered through waste, meaning the discarded items over a long year. In the so-called consumer civilization, it’s precisely the goods that are not “consumed” and thrown into the trash that sometimes provide information—at times only curious, but at other times significantly more relevant. The observatory, of course, is provided by the separate waste collection service implemented by the Amministrazione comunale desenzanese (Desenzano Municipal Administration), which has been active for many years.
In fact, almost one-third of the garbage in the Garda capital no longer goes into the 500 azure-lake colored bins scattered across the vast territory of the city, but into the various recycling containers or eco-islands located in via Giotto and near the cemetery. The list of objects discarded and the quantities involved are truly surprising.
Quantity of waste recycled by category
Starting with paper. In fact, the separate collection accounted for no less than 1,143,570 kilograms of paper, surpassed only by the “green” waste, which reached 1,855,720 kilograms. Also, recycled glass reached significant amounts, with 818,950 kilograms. Everything so far is in line with expectations.
But there are surprises. For example, last year, 18,395 kilograms of discarded refrigerators from households were collected, along with as much as 1,380 kilograms of medicines. Nearly one and a half tons of expired or otherwise unused medicines represent a huge quantity, also indicative of pill consumption levels.
The same applies to batteries and accumulators: the separate collection received 835 kilograms, which drops to 315 for exhausted toner cartridges, that is, ink cartridges in powder form used in photocopiers. Also disposed of were 831 kilograms of discharge lamps and tubes, one ton of used vegetable oils and fats, and 3,300 kilograms of spent mineral oil.
Heaviest materials and overall quantities
Regarding wood, 265,200 kilograms were delivered to the two eco-islands last year, along with 519,120 kilograms of iron. Despite the “lightness” of the containers, recycled plastic amounted to nearly 58 tons, while inert materials from demolitions carried out by the Comune (Municipality) weighed 523 tons.
The city of Desenzano, with its over 23,000 inhabitants, generates 9,685 tons of municipal solid waste and 1,191 tons of similar waste, for a total of 11,596 tons. The recycling rate has reached 28.9%.
“We aim to increase this result,” explains Assessore Giovanni Venieri (Councilor Giovanni Venieri), “by introducing incentives starting next year for those who separate and dispose of waste at eco-islands. The office is studying the possibility of introducing waste weighing, providing citizens with magnetic cards that will allow them to obtain discounts.”
New interventions and structures under construction
Meanwhile, construction work is underway in Rivoltella, in the area adjacent to the bypass leading to Colombare, for an eco-platform with an investment slightly less than 2 billion euros. The structure will include, besides the collection center for the two existing eco-islands, the building of a depot for municipal vehicles.
And the Comune (Municipality) is preparing to complete the renewal plan of the trash bins, with the purchase of another 80 new containers.