Waste Management Failures in Riva Raise Environmental Concerns
Piles of waste like those sighted last Sunday (a sleepy March Sunday) are unprecedented in Riva. Something similar to the indecent spectacle of garbage bins literally overflowing with plastic bags and refuse in an open-air dump (offered by the eco-island of Porta San Marco) is usually remembered only during certain Easter or Ferragosto holidays. But back then, thousands of tourists were present. So what can we expect, in the absence of improvements, for the upcoming season? The question is being whispered among the residents of Riva, and Maurizia Rossato, who writes a very worthwhile letter in this regard, is taking it up as a spokesperson.
Criticism of waste management
“The Green-environmentalist members, present both in the Provincial and Municipal Councils, although concerned about very important issues like the migration of frogs, seem to ignore the ‘true bomb of the century’: waste. For years, a plan has been awaited that first addresses education about the use of unused materials, encourages recycling, and plans for disposal.”
Regarding landfills, decisions are now increasingly taken in desperation and emergency scenarios. The responsible municipal administrations have found nothing better than to ‘shift’ the problem onto the Comprensori (an entity nearing dissolution), which in turn partly entrusts it to the municipal yard and external companies for selective collection: often with contracts that are either not clear enough or ‘onerous.’
In Riva, there is also chaos regarding the distribution of refuse bins. Nearly all have disappeared from the historic center, while in the surrounding streets they wander from one station to another based on unknown logic, which does not consider the immediate proximity of residents’ homes.
Planning and management issues
It is clear that the municipal ‘planning’ shows clear signs of inefficiency, primarily in enforcing the ordinance that obliges operators to a different type of collection, and also in identifying sites for the placement of bins themselves, which should not be a burden only for some.
And where ten bins are placed, the area looks more like a dump than a necessity, albeit somewhat hidden and beautified. Note: residents of the historic center do not bring their waste to Piazza Catena, but to the bins at Porta San Marco, although the responsible councilor possibly does not know this.
Evidently, common sense and even a minimal sense of aesthetics are minority considerations compared to the need to propose costly projects (the purchase and placement of a ‘canguro’ costs about 100 million lire) and often unfeasible in the city center, as we saw in Viale Dante. A humble suggestion I would like to offer to the responsible councilor: when in Trento, look around a bit and get some tips from your local colleague; you would benefit yourself and, above all, the city.
