The deputy vice-president of the Catania city council, Riccardo Pellegrino, intervenes on the waste emergency which has put the city to the test and sparked political debate.
“To claim that the city is on its knees because of the Trantino administration is biased and petty. Waste is an issue that, for decades, we have continued to treat at all levels as an emergency, but it is not an emergency. It is endemic, systemic and cultural. The Region and the Prosecutor’s Office are trying to find a way to reopen the Lentini landfill, which is not the solution to the emergency in the city: it is only apparently so. Once the landfill is reopened, we will perhaps no longer see waste, but the problem remains. My appeal – says the Forza Italia representative – is first and foremost to my fellow councilors. Each of us is the expression of a part of the city: let’s go door to door, as we do during election campaigns, and let’s be the first to educate citizens on the correct disposal of waste. There are many good and responsible citizens, but there are also many others who do not respect the disposal times, who do not differentiate correctly, who abandon waste recklessly everywhere. It is also their fault if the city is in this state and if the costs of the Tari are so high. Good citizens also pay for those who do not pay, both economically and in terms of decorum. So instead of fining, take away the social safety nets from those who do not respect the rules of civil life and do not respect the city from which they expect help and support. My other appeal – he concludes – instead goes to the central Government: make the release of the Isee subordinate to the payment of the Tari. Only in this way, by directly touching the pockets of those who want to be smart, will the administrations have the necessary resources to provide a quality service and every citizen will feel co-responsible”.
