Waste, environment and climate change, City Strategies & Governance
Communication strategies for waste management improvement: The case of Parma
Parma is an Italian municipality with a population of 198,292 inhabitants (2020). Parma adopted the Door-to-door (DtD) collection, including the separation of kitchen waste, throughout 2012-2013. This was followed in 2015 by the introduction of a PAYT scheme, which was designed based on the number of set-outs of residual waste – how many times a household puts out the residual waste bin per year. The scheme has, ever since, made Parma into one of the top performers in recycling among cities of a similar size across Italy and Europe.
Parma’s DtD waste management system also stands out as a prime example of how proficient communication strategies support the achievement of good results.
Challenges addressed
Immigrant workers and university students are roughly 10% of the total population. Therefore, digital communication was used (social media, dedicated apps and internet portal) besides the traditional one. A booklet for foreigners in different languages can also be found on the website of the municipality.
Main objectives
- Supporting the implementation of DtD collection system.
- Boosting public participation and acceptance of the waste collection system.
- Increasing waste separate collection rate of the municipality.
- Reducing municipal solid waste generation.
External resources
Facts
Project type Education and awareness to foster waste DtD systems
Partners Parma Municipality (Implementing entity)
Dates 2012- 2015 and ongoing
Funding Own funding
Project description
In Parma, transitioning from “bring systems” to DtD collection required dedicated communication efforts. Some actions were developed:
- 25 public meetings were organized across different neighbourhoods, with participants including members of local associations, schools, foreigners, and condominium administrators.
- A dedicated programme targeted local businesses, including monthly meetings on DtD collection effectiveness. Feedback from these meetings, such as concerns raised by bars and restaurants in the city centre about limited space, led to adjustments by the waste management company IREN, such as increasing biowaste collection frequency.
- Ongoing consultation programmes with residents and businesses were facilitated by appointed waste officers (informatori) during the delivery of new tools, such as the recent replacement of initial used bags for residual waste with caddies in the city centre.
One of the most innovative communication actions was the creative video “the funeral of the last road container”, which involved prominent sports clubs and associations (see picture).
Additionally, and according to local decision-makers, one of the most effective awareness-raising initiatives was the project targeting all schools of Parma, titled “Rifiuti? Risorse!'” (which may be translated to “Waste? Nope, Resources!”). In this project, the students’ population starting from kindergartens to universities were involved in a contest, which awarded every year the best performance in separating waste, at various educational levels.
Impact and results
The combined effect of DtD and PAYT scheme implementation and the educational programmes resulted in a reduction in waste generation and increased separate collection levels, positioning Parma as a reference for cities of similar size.
- Separate collection rate reached 82% in 2021, much higher compared to the one in 2011 (46%).
- Waste generation in 2022 (562 kg/inhab./year) had reduced 4,42% compared to 2011 (588 kg/inhab./year), when DtD, PAYT and the educational programmes were not yet developed.
- Impurities content in biowaste achieved low values (average: 3.2%), allowing to obtain good quality compost.
