Collaboration spirit
The hunters registered in the “Riccardo Marchio” section of the Italian Hunting Federation, who have always been committed to the protection and valorization of the territory, feel the duty to commit themselves to the protection and valorization of the square of San Pio X in front of the Basilica SS Maria dei Miracoli. Indeed, a place of important tourist and religious attraction in the city of Andria, which has unfortunately been in a state of decay and abandonment for some time. Therefore, precisely in the spirit of collaboration towards the institutions and citizens, the hunters organized a demonstration consisting of cleaning the square with the aim of raising public awareness of the defense of the environment and the conservation of creation. The organizers, although aware that they will not resolve the problem entirely, hope to begin to move the waters towards greater environmental sensitivity and protection of assets of a certain historical and cultural importance, even in peripheral locations.
Environmental degradation
The message was also accepted by the “MU.dAV – Museum of Hunting Art”, as well as by the “Don Riccardo Zingaro” laborers’ association, two other organizations from Andria which have been working for years, among other things, for the protection of traditions historical-cultural. The spirit that fuels the initiative lies in the belief that the phenomenon of environmental degradation can be contrasted and limited by paying attention to all the components that determine it, starting from the type of waste up to the subjects who pollute, with their motivations, and the end by sharing the measures to be taken. From the study carried out by the Riccardo Marchio section of Andria, it was found that the waste found in the bags, scattered along the roads of the Andriano countryside, is essentially of domestic origin.
The civic sense of citizens
The reasons for this phenomenon are to be found both in a cultural approach of little civic sense of some citizens, fortunately increasingly in the minority given the growing sensitivity to environmental issues, and in the need to continue the work of raising awareness and greater diffusion of services of environmental surveillance and waste collection, perhaps increasing the availability of waste collection bins in the peripheral areas of the city. While living in the countryside and the peripheral areas, hunters have noticed a strong presence of bulky waste, characterized by refrigerators, kitchens, mattresses, furniture, televisions, etc., and this phenomenon appears truly intolerable considering the existence for years of a service collection also for this waste, with home collection on request, which takes place free of charge with a simple phone call, but which, given the results, perhaps deserves greater publicity and diffusion. To encourage greater diffusion of the service, the associations suggest forwarding, together with the TARI files, also an information leaflet that gives greater relevance to this opportunity.
Invitation to public opinion
However, as regards construction waste, the hunters invite the bodies in charge to intensify controls with the activation of sanctioning procedures. The presence of tires from cars, trucks, tractors and other materials is worrying. Also in this case, the phenomenon could be mitigated by intervening on automotive parts retailers by introducing an unloading register of sold products and a loading register of abandoned ones, perhaps encouraging the return by private individuals as well as the transfer to authorized disposal centers by the professional subjects through a bonus system and/or small discounts. Lastly, we also note the enormous presence of abandoned land which, in addition to being open-air landfills, are potential fire receptacles due to the presence of brushwood. It seems appropriate to point out Regional Law no. 26/2014 and subsequent amendments which aims to combat the phenomenon of abandonment and consumption of agricultural land, but which deserves greater implementation supervision. Well, the Associations promoting the initiative, which have always been close to the local reality and sensitive to the protection of the environment, hoping for a growing civic sense and greater environmental sensitivity of citizens and institutions, invite public opinion to share this approach and support every initiative aimed at safeguarding the surrounding environment and defending a better quality of life. (The President of FIDC Andria – Riccardo Sgaramella)
