Brussels, 3 November 2023 – The city of Codevilla in Italy has recently committed to Mission Zero Academy (MiZA) to become a certified zero waste city, confirming long-held beliefs in the municipality’s good waste governance.
The mayor of Codevilla, Marco Dapiaggi, signed a letter in April 2023, detailing the commitment of Codevilla to becoming a zero waste city. This commitment is a significant achievement for Codevilla, as it reflects the city’s longstanding efforts towards zero waste practices, which include the establishment of a waste observatory to monitor and reduce waste, implemented policies to prevent soil consumption, and launched the ‘Volunteers for the Environment’ project.
Crucial to attaining this distinguished status are several promises. The city committed to a 90% separate collection rate for municipal solid waste in its pledge letter. Over the past decade, the municipality of Codevilla has observed an upward trend in the percentage of separate waste it collects, starting from 16.2% in 2012 and reaching 80.6% in 2021. The city has been diligent in its efforts and has achieved an average rate of 84%, indicating that the efforts have not been in vain. This marks a promising future for the waste management of the municipality.
Laura Lo Presti, Coordinator of Zero Waste Italy since 2019, and mentor for the city of Codevilla, stated:
“Codevilla is a small municipality in the province of Pavia that is achieving the best performance in terms of separate waste collection. Thanks to the commitment of citizens but also to the political vision of its far-sighted administrators who are committed to pursuing the Zero Waste strategy and who, by obtaining good results, demonstrate how choices can have an impact.”
Marco Dapiaggi, Mayor of the municipality of Codevilla, stated:
“The Municipality of Codevilla is a strong supporter of the 10 steps towards Zero Waste strategy, we are part of the Italian network and we do our best to activate all the tools in our possession. We are happy to start the certification process as a further effort and demonstration of our will and political line.”
Codevilla has closely monitored the door-to-door separate waste collection, which is being conducted by their waste management company, ASM Voghera Spa, in compliance with their certification requirements. The company has been successful in collecting many waste streams such as municipal solid waste (MSW) and bulky waste.
On top of its pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) fees and the door-to-door collection system, Codevilla has introduced an additional collection service, both at home and monthly via a hooklift positioned in the cemetery square of the city. In the Municipality courtyard it is also possible to dispose of the following products separately: spray cans, used vehicle batteries, used oil, small WEEE, used batteries.
Throughout the year, Codevilla generated 317,209 tonnes of waste, with 267,779 tonnes sorted and 49,430 tonnes unseparated.
Using the certification criteria as a guide, Codevilla’s mentor Laura Lo Presti will assist in implementing the steps towards zero waste. Plans to achieve this goal are currently being discussed and aim to be finalised by the end of the year.
The Zero Waste Cities Certification is a European certification standard evaluated by third parties. Created by Zero Waste Europe (ZWE), and run by its sister organisation Mission Zero Academy (MiZA), its goal is to accelerate the transition to zero waste and the implementation of the circular economy in European towns and cities, at the local level.
Notes to the Editor
- Codevilla’s waste management company is ASM Voghera Spa. You can find out more about the company by visiting their website here: https://www.asmvoghera.it/
- Historical data on waste production by the municipality of Codevilla: National waste register (ISPRA)
- The Zero Waste Certification is made up of 5 steps: (i) the expression of interest in being Zero Waste by the municipality, (ii) the commitment to be Zero Waste, (iii) the implementation of this system, (iv) its certification and (v) the performance of annual improvements. The overcoming of each of these steps is given with the support and advice of expert entities in the fields of waste and resource management. The evaluation for certification is developed around a scoring system, which includes mandatory criteria and optional scoring criteria.
- Scoring criteria are scored based on the ambition and impact of each implemented policy. The sum of the points defines the level of certification of the municipality and its subsequent number of ‘stars’.
- Subsequent to Certification, municipalities must monitor their activity and make annual improvements to enhance the results achieved. Every 3 years they are subject to new audits.
- Do you want to know more about the Certification of Zero Waste Cities and Towns? Discover more details about it here.
Press contacts
Sean Flynn, Media Outreach & Communications Officer at Zero Waste Europe, sean@zerowasteeurope.eu or news@zerowasteeurope.eu / +32 471 96 55 93
Do you want to know more about the Certification of Zero Waste Cities and Towns? Discover more details about it here.
