Residents of Rome are urged to reduce their use of Christmas wrapping paper because the authorities in the Italian capital are struggling with the long-standing garbage collection dilemma.
The city’s new leaders are under pressure to fulfill their promise to clean up the streets before Christmas. In addition to the call for wrapping paper, they also pay bonuses to garbage collectors to prevent seasonal absenteeism.
Environmental Commissioner Sabrina Alfonsi told Il Messaggero that the issue of wrapping paper and packaging was “not a joke.”
“As the government, we have taken all possible actions to improve [waste] Collect and find new outlets for the rubbish produced in Rome,” she said. “Christmas is a particularly complicated time, especially for packages. The generation of waste is increasing, and it must be reduced. “
Alphonse emphasized that reducing the use of wrapping paper does not mean giving fewer gifts, but that citizens need to play their part in helping to keep the city clean.
After causing some criticism on social media, Alfonsi was forced to clarify her comments. Some people said her suggestion was a simplified way to try to solve the Roman trash problem, and that fewer Christmas packages would make no difference.
“There is no initiative on behalf of the city council to reduce Christmas parcels,” she told Ansa. “This is a problem related to packaging. This is not only a problem for Rome, but also a problem for the entire world. Europe. “
She said that packaging is mainly related to the company and distribution, and reducing its use is a key component of the city’s overall waste management plan, which includes the construction of a new waste treatment plant.
Rome’s mayor Roberto Gualtieri promised a “special cleanup” of the city after winning the election in October and set a goal for Christmas, “if not earlier”. He said: “We will clear the garbage dump, we will clean the streets, we will mow the grass, we will clean the sewers.”
In November, he announced that 40 million euros (34 million pounds) had been allocated for missionary work. However, so far, there are few obvious signs that this goal has a big impact, and overflowing trash cans are still a common sight.
In order to solve the problem of absenteeism of workers from the municipal waste collection company Ama during Christmas and New Years, approximately 3 million euros will be used to pay garbage collectors a 360 euro bonus to encourage them to show up to work.
At the same time, Ama announced on Thursday that its employees will go on strike on Monday and will only remove waste from the Rome hospital.
