Interview: Expo Milano 2015 reaches record of 70 percent waste recycled

The Expo Milano 2015 was the first world exposition targeting exhibitors and visitors to support the separated collection of waste, with a record of 70 percent waste recycled each day, according to official figures.

During the weeks immediately after the inauguration of the event on May 1, the level of recycling had already exceeded the 60 percent mark.

In an interview with Xinhua on Wednesday, Gloria Zavatta, Sustainability Manager at the Milan world exposition, said since July the Expo has separated 70 percent of the waste produced each day, enabling the materials to be recycled and the areas cleaned effectively.

"We strongly believe that garbage is not waste, but resources, and we tried our best to let everybody be aware of this," Zavatta stressed.

How was it possible to achieve such a unique result in the story of world expositions? Past expos had never released this figure.

"The only remarkable case was that of 2012 London Olympics, which reached over 60 percent of waste recycled, but an expo lasts six months," Zavatta noted.

Not only the commitment of the 150 operators engaged in the daily operations and the quality of the technologies have enabled the efficiency of the recycling system to grow day by day, but the Expo's effort in educating exhibitors and citizens has played a fundamental role, she explained to Xinhua.

There are some 140 exhibitors at Expo Milano 2015, and each of them has the responsibility to manage their own pavilions, waste included, Zavatta noted.

Expo has defined very precise guidelines with a well-designed control and supervision system.

"Each pavilion has to deliver its garbage at 11:00 p.m. by putting paper, glass, organic waste and plastic separately at a precise point so that the trash cans can easily collect it," Zavatta said.

Rebukes are envisaged for those who do not respect the rules.

"We have given over 1,000 reprimands to those exhibitors who have delivered the garbage late or not properly divided into the expected categories," she said.

In the pathways and in the common areas of the exposition site, approximately 2,000 trash cans have been provided to collect the garbage. From 6:00 a.m. to when the gates open to the public, various washing and brushing services are performed in the public areas.

During the day, the operators keep the areas tidy and empty the garbage, while during the night they pick up the separated waste from the pavilions with a door-to-door service.

"Visitors in general are also doing their part. It is rare to find so many conscientious people at a big event such an expo," Zavatta went on saying.

"We have found that they just have trouble in distinguishing some recyclable materials from similar non-recyclable ones," she noted.

Volunteers and green associations play a central role in helping visitors and exhibitors be environmental-friendly.

"They give instructions to them and even perform amusing communication and awareness initiatives while visitors are in queue. For example they pretend to be pirates who are not allowed to enter the Expo because they do not separate their waste," Zavatta told Xinhua.

Dozens of items at the Expo Milano 2015 are made of recycled materials, while agreements have been made to recycle the installations, furniture and materials that will be in a good state at the end of the world exposition on Oct. 31.

One of the most important of the separated collections activities are the environmental meters along the expo's central corridor, which displays the environmental and economic results achieved by implementing the on-site waste recycling scheme.

Reaching 24 percent of the total, organic waste is the largest portion recovered, followed by paper and cardboard, with 16 percent of the total collected, glass with 14 percent and plastic and metal packaging at 10 percent, according to latest data. Endit