We met environment minister Sergio Costa, who revealed his next move in the fight against pollution caused by plastic. He is convinced that projects like PlasticLess are needed to save the planet.
At the circular economy trade fair, which showcases to the public the companies and startups that are actively working to bring sustainability into both the production supply chain and our homes, Sergio Costa was always going to be there. We met the environment minister as he personally went to discover these realities, making his way around the stands at Ecomondo and demonstrating his interest in the innovations on show at the Rimini Expo Centre.
Listen to "Così l'Italia vuole liberarsi dalla plastica. Intervista a Sergio Costa ministro dell'Ambiente" on Spreaker.It is clear that Costa is not content merely to fulfil an institutional role, but that he also wants, on a personal level, a greener, healthier and safer Italy — one capable of withstanding the effects of climate change and fighting to mitigate them; one that stays afloat during floods, recovers the oxygen stolen by the Terra dei fuochi and frees itself from the burden of waste. These are precisely the minister's priorities, starting with reducing the consumption of plastics. Italy is, in fact, the seventh European country in terms of per capita plastic waste generation: each citizen produces 35.05 kilograms per year, a figure above the European average of 31.33.
You care deeply about the Plastic free campaign. What does it involve?
The innovative move, also from a symbolic point of view, is that from 4 October the Ministry of the Environment became entirely plastic free — we're talking about single-use plastics, of course. We are gathering commitments to go plastic free from a whole range of institutional bodies and citizens, and that is another important aspect. The next step is this: in January the Salva mare law will be tabled in Parliament — I have already had it tabled in the Council of Ministers — that is, the law to save the sea from plastics, so for a plastic-free sea. And it is the first time that a European directive has been pre-empted, or at least an attempt has been made to pre-empt it by bringing it to Parliament; Parliament, as sovereign, will then decide whether to pass it or not, but I am convinced there is a great willingness to get this law through.
What do you think of projects like LifeGate PlasticLess for recovering plastic from the sea?
I can only think well of them. That's not a rhetorical statement on my part. I can only think well of them because it clearly means that we are all contributing, we all want to take part: so it is no longer the State, a minister, the government that wants to do it, but in this way the sense of participation in an initiative that serves to save the planet is measured — let's be clear about that.
Costa took part in the Stati generali della green economy, one of the most important events within Ecomondo, where the economic opportunities that environmental protection offers are discussed, including 3.3 million new jobs. He explained that the Ministry of the Environment will focus not only on separate waste collection, which Italians carry out in an exemplary fashion, but also on recycling, on the basis that sorting waste correctly is pointless if it is then not sent for regeneration. This is why investment must go into the End of waste project, which "gives those things we improperly regard as waste the chance to become raw materials for a new business activity".
Finally, Costa did not miss the opportunity to comment on current events. Regarding the damage and fatalities caused by severe bad weather across Italy between the end of October and the beginning of November, he assured that the funds for reducing hydrogeological risk are in place: the figure stands at approximately 6.5 billion euros (an amount made public on 8 November, ed.). The ministry is calling on local authorities — regions, provinces and municipalities — to submit concrete projects in which to invest, and will support them in managing the funding.
He added that it is essential to tackle illegal construction without any further leniency, and to that end he has set up a working group made up of magistrates and law enforcement officers to devise a regulation that would allow illegally built structures to be demolished quickly. It really does seem that the minister will not hesitate to push forward values he truly believes in, and that he will not stop until he has secured the possibility of guaranteeing us a future.
