2010 - Parma at a crossroads in waste management

Zero Waste in Parma

2010

Parma has reached a crossroads in its waste management policy

Zero Waste in Parma Parma’s economy revolves around: 

7,500 farms

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1,500 food companies

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3,000 mechanichal businesses (many of which make plants for the food industry)

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2,000 businesses in the tourism industry

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Zero Waste in Parma Parma is renowned worldwide for its outstanding foods: 

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It is home to the European Food Safety Authority Prosciutto di Parma (Parma ham- 164 companies which produced 9,771,000 hams in 2008 alone) Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan Cheese- 429 dairies, 3,855 farms with 239,000 cows and 3,014,659 cheeses produced in 2008 alone)

Zero Waste in Parma Parma is renowned worldwide for its outstanding foods: 

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Tomato sauces and preserves (Rizzoli, Rodolfi, Greci, Mutti, Zarotti) Barilla (a global leader in pasta and bakery products) Parmalat (global leader in milk and dairy products) Consortium for the protection of Parma’s D.O.C. (Registered Designation of Origin)

wines

The Food Valley’s Image

… so why build an incinerator in the Food Valley if there are alternatives?

The Food Valley’s Image

The Crossroads There are two possible scenarios:

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

WASTE INCINERATION

The Food Valley’s Image SCENARIO 1 - WASTE INCINERATION Incinerator visible from the motorway where millions of vehicles pass each year

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Likelihood of protests from groups that are against construction of the incinerator, which will be reported by national and international media

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PARMA’s brands will be associated with the incinerator

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Incinerator = fumes= dioxins= heavy metals released into Parma’s atmosphere

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Incinerator = toxic ashes needing to be disposed of

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Scenario 1 – INCINERATOR Visibility The location of the incinerator alongside the A1 motorway and the railway line means it will be Parma’s “LANDMARK” for the millions of vehicles that pass each year, and for the millions of passengers passing on trains

Mot orw

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Incinerator in project in Parma

Barilla Pasta Factory

Brescia

The town

centre

Scenario 1 – INCINERATOR Protests As the construction and start-up phases draw nearer, the movement against the incinerator is increasingly making itself heard 

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Map of flags on Google (viewed 2,232 times between 2/12/09 and 31/12/09 alone) YouTube channel (viewed 2,400 times at 31/12/09, with 58 videos uploaded)

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Fan pages for Parma’s food products are receiving increasing numbers of comments regarding the incinerator

Art. 32 Safeguards health as a

fundamental right of the individual, in the interests of the collective

As you can see, for every tonne of waste we burn, we are left with 250kg!

What actually worries me are the 750kg I can’t see.

Scenario 1 – INCINERATOR The Media The impact of coverage in the national and international press may well be heightened by Parma’s “Food Valley” being associated with health-related issues * The El Pais and NYTimes pages are both photo montages, but the other articles are real: what if this were to happen to Parma?

Scenario 1 – INCINERATOR Health risks The impact of coverage in the national and international press may well be heightened

by Parma’s “Food Valley” being associated with healthrelated problems

Scenario 1 – INCINERATOR Health risks Map of Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan cheese dairies) in the vicinity of the incinerator (which we hope will never be built!)

The image of Parma’s Food Valley SCENARIO 2 – REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE 

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The very same site allocated for the incinerator would become a RECYCLING CENTRE visible from the motorway and the railway line The “PARMA ZERO WASTE” logo would be associated with every product made in Parma The value of food produced in Parma and its province would increase Parma University could stage courses for studying how to reduce packaging and how to eliminate packaging that is difficult to recycle The money saved by not building an incinerator could be used to further encourage the use of renewable energy sources The recycling centre would create far more employment than an incinerator

Scenario 2 – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Parma’s calling card

Instead of seeing this….

Scenario 2 – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Parma’s calling card

PARMA: ZERO WASTE MUNICIPALITY AND PROVINCE

… people would see this!

Scenario 2 – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

The logo

PARMA: ZERO WASTE MUNICIPALITY AND PROVINCE

Territorial Marketing One success story is the Sudtirol logo, which is used for all products made in the South Tyrol region.

Consumers associate any product bearing the Sudtirol logo with the image of a product that is

healthy, wholesome and environmentally friendly

Scenario 2 – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Added value

Incinerators do not give

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any added value to local produce Adhering to the Zero Waste strategy would increase the appeal of:

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Food products

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Tourism

Scenario 2 – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Research

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A university which holds courses on how to reduce packaging and how to produce packaging that is easy to recycle attracts: 

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Investments from companies (the food processing machinery manufacturers in the Parma area are at the cutting edge of their field worldwide) Investments from the European Union Students from all over the world

Scenario 2 – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Alternative energy sources

The money saved by not building an incinerator can be used to further encourage the use of renewable energy sources:   

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Solar panels on Parma’s apartment blocks Wind turbines in hilly areas Bringing existing buildings into line with modern energy efficiency criteria ......

In this way we would reduce emissions in the Parma area, making the city a MODEL OF ECOSUSTAINABILITY worldwide

Scenario 2 – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Feasibility

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Novara reached the target of 80% separate waste collection in just 18 months Vedelago (in the province of Treviso) has a recycling centre which serves 1,000,000 people with its waste separation and recycling services In San Francisco (850,000 inhabitants) 80% of all urban waste is recycled In Tel Aviv biogas and electricity are produced from waste, and the recycling park has become a tourist attraction .......

THE COMPANIES, CITIZENS AND INSTITUTIONS OF PARMA CAN EMBARK ON THIS PROJECT TOGETHER

IF WE WANT TO… WE CAN!

THE END

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