This article dates from the early 2000s. Information contained here may no longer be current.
Some foreign countries already have strong recycling programs. Let's do more in Italy! It seems crucial to me that we have better information and a stronger sense of responsibility. All of us need to understand "why it's necessary to separate our waste."
We need to work together with both knowledge and conscience. Marco Bersani, who is also an educator for people with handicaps, believes that young people in our care can become skilled recyclers and real environmentalists.
Recycling: Fact or Fiction
Plastic shopping bags are never recyclable—even if the label says so—and shouldn't be used for shopping or especially for garbage. Special waste bags, typically black or blue, are much better suited to the job.
Tetra Pak cartons (milk, fruit juice containers, and the like) are not recyclable and should never go in your paper waste. They shouldn't be manufactured at all. If you can find milk in glass bottles, that's far preferable. Tetra Pak produces dioxin like all plastics, which seep into the soil. Cork stoppers can be recycled. Construction companies—and most large cities have collection points; just ask your city council—use them as insulation instead of fiberglass. Drinking water is not infinite. Use it wisely. It's wasteful to rinse dishes under running water. Glass should be separated carefully when recycled. White glass must be kept apart from colored glass. Only then can we produce good-quality recycled glass.
When you separate your waste, do it thoughtfully. Remove labels from tin cans and glass bottles, and rinse the containers. Clothes you no longer wear but are still in good condition—don't throw them away. Give them to someone who needs them. Caritas and other collection centers will be grateful. There are also secondhand markets where you can sell your things. By refusing individual plastic bags for loose fruit at supermarkets, you avoid contributing to the enormous degradation time of those bags.
- Huberta Pott, 2000