In Bassano del Grappa the European project REthinkWASTE has come to life, since the testing phase of KAYT started last December. The initiative carried out by Etra SpA, the local waste management company and leader of the LIFE project, is the “Riciclo e Vinco!” (“Recycle and Win!”) competition.
The experimentation involves the collection area D of the Municipality, which counts 4,950 households and about 11,300 inhabitants. The activities it will last until November 2021. In the past months postcards with the presentation of the initiative and instructions for joining it have been distributed to all domestic users of the area and 237 of them registered by March 31, the deadline for joining it.
Participating users then began to receive messages via WhatsApp, SMS or Telegram on a weekly basis, with various contents: information on the correct differentiation of waste, quizzes on the same topics and personalized information messages on their behavior regarding the residual waste thrown.
So far, the interaction with participants is good, with a percentage of involvement ranging from 60% to 90%. The answers given to the questions and quizzes proposed on separate collection also show a good level of knowledge, since the average of correct answers ranges always between 60% and 90% and even more. Only in two cases they were below 50%.
The project foresees that at the end of the experimentation the most active citizens in participating will be rewarded with the extraction of 100 vouchers worth 60 Euros each to be spent in local commercial activities or to be donated to local associations: this option was chosen following a survey carried out among the citizens of Bassano, who therefore demonstrated a strong sense of collective solidarity.
The experimentation will last until November 2021: it will end with the extraction and delivery of vouchers to those users who will remain registered until the end and will have actively participated responding at least to half of the messages received.