“Cuore Mediterraneo”, the traveling campaign promoted by RICREA, arrives in Sicily to raise awareness among citizens and tourists about the quality and values of steel packaging. In 2024, it is estimated that 3,504 tonnes will be collected in Marsala. Marsala, 21 June 2024 – Sunscreen spray, canned tuna, crown caps on drinks: Italians’ beach bag also contains steel packaging and disposing of it correctly is a good habit and a fundamental practice, to be maintained even on holiday. Precisely to raise awareness of the qualities and values of steel packaging and teach the importance of their correct disposal, RICREA, the National Consortium for the Recycling and Recovery of Steel Packaging which is part of the CONAI system, promotes “Cuore Mediterraneo”. This year’s summer traveling campaign starts from Marsala where special correspondent Alice met bathers inviting them to discover the many benefits deriving from the correct disposal and recycling of steel, a material that can be 100% and infinitely recycled .
The RICREA Consortium presented the Municipality with a special recognition for its commitment to the separate collection of steel packaging and for the results achieved: in 2024 in Marsala it is estimated that 3,504 tonnes of steel packaging will be collected, a result which marks a +40, 7% compared to 2023. “The mission of the Consortium is, even during the summer, to promote the importance of the correct disposal of steel packaging such as jars for fruit and vegetables, cans, drums, milk, buckets, cans, caps crown and closures – explains Roccandrea Iascone, Communications Manager of the Ricrea Consortium -. We have always been engaged in environmental awareness and education campaigns that directly involve citizens because we believe that this type of communication plays a decisive role in ensuring that the circular process of steel packaging becomes increasingly shared and virtuous”. “The notable increase achieved in the collection of steel and ferrous material was made possible by the collection system which in Marsala is carried out with the push door to door; with the intensification of information to users about the need to proceed with the separation of the fractions according to the collection calendars, and this in order to safeguard the environment and lighten the costs of the service which, as rendered, are covered by the TARI paid by users; from the daily and painstaking work and information carried out also by the Formula Ambiente operators at the home of each of the contributing users; by the effective activity carried out by Sarco srl in the separation of the joint collection of steel and ferrous material from glass, whose merit, among other things, has been represented several times by this PA. It is also clear that the objective is to improve even more. This is not a simple challenge but on our part we are fully committed to doing so. However, exceeding 40.7% will not be easy” states the Vice Mayor of Marsala Giacomo Tumbarello. In addition to the Municipality, RICREA awarded Formula Ambiente Spa, which manages waste collection in the area, Sarco Srl, the selection platform that separates steel packaging from other multi-weight waste collection materials and Salerno Packaging, a historic Italian company leader in the production of steel packaging. “The collection of steel packaging here in Marsala certainly presents logistical difficulties. To overcome them, Formula Ambiente has implemented some initiatives including the use of latest generation vehicles to have a greater capacity, but the most important is the investment in staff training, so that our operators are able to identify and better select this type of waste to complete the steel cycle, from collection to final disposal, optimizing the quality of the waste” states Andrea Aiello, Operational Area Manager of Formula Ambiente. “As an accredited Ricrea operator, we work with more than 150 Sicilian municipalities including the Municipality of Marsala. Once the waste is delivered, it is treated at our plants to recover quality secondary raw materials compliant with the European End of Waste Regulation 333/2011. Much of the recovered material is then sent for recycling on the island, at the Catania steelworks. In the last year, we have recorded a yield in terms of material recovery of over 80%, so there is still room for improvement. For us, sustainability is a value and at the same time a mission, as on the one hand it reflects our sense of responsibility towards the community and on the other it poses ambitious environmental challenges for us. Our commitment in this sense can be demonstrated through the production of secondary steel raw materials, using 100% renewable electricity. From a perspective of objectives that can be achieved in the short term, the main one is to make our manufacturing processes more efficient, investing in new photovoltaic systems to reduce our carbon footprint” states Marco Catalano Sustainability Manager of Sarco Srl. “Steel is a resource precious material which, if correctly recycled, can be transformed into a vast range of new products: frames, bicycles, chairs and much more. Our commitment, in collaboration with RICREA and with all the other players in the steel life cycle, is aimed at continuing on this path: promoting the use of tinplate packaging, especially in the agri-food sector which is one of the most relevant for the Sicily Region and raise awareness of the importance of correct disposal and recycling for a more sustainable future and more efficient management of resources” concludes Nino Salerno, President of Salerno Packaging and Councilor of the Ricrea Consortium. Italy represents excellence at a European level in terms of separate collection of such packaging, with a recycling rate of 87.8% of steel packaging released for consumption, which already significantly exceeds the target for 2025 ( 70%) and the 80% set for 2030 by the European Union. In 2023, 428,043 tonnes were sent for recycling (+2% compared to the previous year) equal to 4.8 kg per inhabitant. More information on Cuore Mediterraneo and Alice’s activities on the dedicated social pages @CuoreMediterraneo.RICREA
