The “European Week for Waste Reduction” will be held from 17 to 25 of November, an important global initiative aimed at promoting the creation of awareness actions on the correct reduction of waste and promotion of the circular economy during a single week.
EWWR through an elaborate communication campaign on environmental sustainability, aims to encourage citizens, public bodies, associations and companies to propose, implement and disseminate concrete actions and good practices for waste reduction by encouraging the green economy. The actions considered most deserving will then be rewarded during the European ceremony that takes place in Brussels.
The actions implemented in the EWWR are addressing the “3 R”: Reduce waste, Reuse products, Recycle material. The “3 R” represent the options which should be considered first when elaborating a waste management strategy.
Let's see how to take part in the EWWR in a concrete way:
The best waste is the one that is not produced. Reduce means using fewer resources in the first place. Here are some practical examples, useful both for businesses and for the individual citizen: adopt a policy of sustainable purchases for office/school/kitchen supplies and production lines, install coffee machines that accept mugs instead of plastic cups and promote the use of mugs, waste reduction action at offices (double-sided printing, reuse of one-sided paper, using water from the tab or a water dispenser, glasses/mugs instead of plastic cups, using bulk tea instead of tea bags, etc.), install water coolers instead of giving out bottled water, develop a concept on how to reuse the packaging used in your company, information boards in supermarkets that help the consumer to opt for products with less packaging.
Reusing products is thus the second best option in waste management, after reducing. Here is a selection of ideas for actions that can be implemented in the EWWR with particular attention to preparation for reuse and reuse. Collection for reuse: organize the collection of clothes, books, tools, furniture, electronics or other items to donate them to social enterprises, schools or reuse organizations. Office supply reuse action: when disposing of archives, retrieve folders, ring binders, one-sided printed paper and other items that can be reused and reuse them yourself or donate to schools, social enterprises or reuse organizations.
In order to ensure that waste materials get recycled, selective collection and the sorting of waste is essential. Successfully establishing selective collection schemes and encouraging citizens to sort their waste are thus crucial for improving recycling rates.
Here are some ideas to take an active part in the action. Developing easily understandable sorting guides for households and distribute them amongst your target audience, introduce waste sorting at work, in schools, in public spaces, exhibition or information booth to inform about the environmental, social and economic impact of waste, particularly about incineration and landfill, and the need to waste sorting and recycling.
Simple actions, which can and must become part of our daily life, at work, at home and in common areas. We at Regenesi are committed every day to include some of these practices within the company and as a lifestyle, aware that the road is still long. EWWR is a fantastic moment of inspiration, which can not and should not be a single week, but the beginning of a new path that starts from the single to become global. A commitment that must become our choice of every day.