Anyone can make a difference and promote actions to give objects a second life by actively taking part in the European Week for Waste Reduction 2017.
The best waste is waste that is never produced. This is the motto of the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR), the major European environmental communication campaign that since 2009 has been promoting the implementation of awareness-raising "actions" on waste management based on the principle of the 3Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle.
The EWWR is an established reality that sees growing participation both at European and national level from all types of stakeholder: citizens, public administrations, schools, associations and NGOs. Anyone interested in taking part can do so, and it is very straightforward: simply think of an action that can help reduce waste, register it and carry it out. In 2016 there were more than 12,000 actions registered across Europe and 4,419 in Italy.
The 2017 edition of the EWWR will be held from 18 to 26 November and will focus on reuse, an area that is increasingly being explored and promoted. This year's slogan is, in fact, let's give objects a second life. This theme can be interpreted in many different ways, from simple initiatives such as evenings among friends dedicated to swapping, to the reuse of objects that have lost their original usefulness for their owners (from rusty kitchen utensils to old VHS tapes), to networks that promote reuse on a wide scale such as the franchise second-hand market, to initiatives like "Te lo regalo se vieni a prenderlo", right through to innovative ideas such as reuse shopping centres in Sweden.
To explore this year's thematic focus further, the European EWWR page offers a range of suggestions, including specific activities to carry out such as creating a box of shared objects or running reuse workshops. The Italian EWWR website also publishes tips on a regular basis. In any case, to register an action within the EWWR it is not necessary to focus solely on reuse or repair: all proposals consistent with waste reduction will be accepted, such as extraordinary clean-up activities in the local area, awareness-raising initiatives on prevention, and the fight against food waste.
Among the various proposals submitted by 2016 participants, some stood out for the effectiveness with which they communicated their message. This was the case of the Macanno committee with the "Car boot sale" action, winner of the "citizens" category in Italy and a finalist in Europe. The action is a grassroots initiative that drew attention to the second R: reuse, as a fundamental aspect of a reality increasingly oriented towards sustainability (and anticipating the thematic focus of the 2017 edition).
The Car boot sale proved to be a winning idea for its simplicity and its great impact. A group of citizens organised a second-hand market in which each person filled their own car with objects stored in the cellar or attic to swap them, turning the boot into a stall. The event not only created a moment of encounter and exchange among citizens, but was also an opportunity to raise awareness of the impact of our lifestyles on the environment.
