Municipality of Bitetto

 

Figure 1 - Cathedral of Bitetto

Main data

Population (31.12.2019): 11,923 inhabitants
Total area (km2): 33,95
Altitude (m; average): 139 m.a.s.l.
Official web site of the Municipality: www.comune.bitetto.ba.it

 

Figure 2 – Position of Bitetto in Puglia Region

Figure 3 – The pilot area includes the whole city of Bitetto

Short description

Bitetto is a medium-size town in the Puglia region, 17 km from the City of Bari, in Southern Italy. Well known as the "City of Termite Olives", Bitetto is located in a flat area crossed by the Lama Lamasinata canal, on the slopes of the Murgia plateau. The population is 11,923 (Source: ISTAT, 2019) and the average density is 354 inhabitants/km2. The population density is higher in the historical centre and in adjacent areas, where there are several tall buildings. The structure of the city has facilitated the implementation of a door-to-door waste collection since 2016.

 

Waste collection system and tariff regulation (now)

Name of the company managing the waste service: Navita srl

Main collection system: door-to-door of each fraction for domestic and non-domestic users. Since the implementation of the new collection system in 2016, the main goal of the new approach was to set a system to measure all waste with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology. A kit of bins, one for each type of collected waste, is delivered to all users.

Type of tariff (before test):

PAYT: yes
KAYT: trial

Separate collection rate in 2019 (%): 78.44%
Quantity of unsorted waste per capita in 2019: 79.29 kg/a inhabitant.

 

Main objectives of the test and expected results

The main objectives of the Municipality are:

• to test the KAYT approach in order to integrate it with the PAYT system already in use;
• to improve the already remarkable performance in terms of seperate collection %;
• to make citizens aware of the KAYT model for the tariff, given that from 2021 the Municipality sends bills for the 2020 period with the calculation of the TARIP.

 

The expected results are:

• an improvement in the quality of differentiated waste, because beyond the % of separate collection, the % of impurities that must be monitored also count;
• to increase the culture of recycling by making citizens interact with the messaging platform;
• to raise the awareness of Pay-as-you-throw through the Know-as-you-throw approach.

 

Short description of the test

The pilot area comprehends the whole territory of the municipality of Bitetto. The KAYT model to be implemented consists of:

1. a first engagement letter sent by the Municipality of Bitetto to citizens: the letter will contain a description of the project and an invitation to participate in the KAYT model. Interested citizens will confirm their participation by sending their mobile number to the platform provided by the project;
2. the engagement of local shops in order to obtain vouchers for citizens willing to participate in the KAYT model:local shops will be asked to promote vouchers for participating citizens in order to increase the number of vouchers to be spent for the activities in respect to the project budget;
3. a certain number of eco-coaches will be in charge of information activities in the municipality:they will organize meetings with citizens to check with them the quality of separate waste collection in their buildings and will also be in charge of managing the messaging platform, adapting the style and the number of messages;
4. assignment of eco-points and vouchers: citizens will be awarded with eco-points if they participate in the project, provide their mobile phone number, participate in personal and collective meetings organized by the eco-coaches, involve other people in the project and improve their behaviour on waste management during the project.