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The Dirty Secret
I’m not trying to sound like a spoiled American, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to sound like a spoiled American. When I arrived to my beautiful new home near Milan, it was everything I could want.
It’s in a nice neighborhood, the people are very sweet, I feel extra safe, I have a 360 degree mountain view, the list goes on and on.
After about a day or two of simply living, the trash started to pile up. Our trashcan is very small- not like the big 30- gallon trashcan at my home in the U.S.
It’s easy to fill this 30L trash bag quick. That’s correct, 30 LITERS. Let me do the conversion for you. That is X gallons. I’ll have to put it into my converter app on my iPhone and come back to give you the answer (checking, checking, and ….. that is 7 gallons.)
You read it right!!! S.E.V.E.N. little gallons to put your trash in. You guys, that is like the scraps of food left on your plate after 2 meals. (Yes, I’m being just a bit dramatic.) All in all, I’m betting it is like the size of your tiny trash can located in your bathroom.
Also, it can only be filled about half way, an entire whopping 3.5 gallons, to fit in the trash compacter. We will get to that in a minute.
So, naturally, I asked my husband “What night is the trash pickup?” He laughed like a hyena.
He proceeded to show me where our trash and recycling (because we love our planet!) are located.
Luckily for us, it’s just a short walk from home. I have seen some other people put their dirty trash bags and containers into their cars and drive from their home to get rid of their waste. Yuck!
So, let’s talk about the trash and recycling system, this dirty little secret that I would never even dream about.
Sorting the Trash & Recycling
Each comune (town) in Italy is different. These steps explains our system in Brescia, about an hour or so outside of Milan.
So, at our house we have 4 containers just for recycling. That’s right, 4. Why not have only 1 big container for recyclables like we do in America, you ask?
That’s because WE have to sort it OURSELVES! AHAHAHA, just typing this, I feel like a spoiled brat but c’mon! When you are used to tossing everything in one big container and rolling it to the end of your driveway for pickup once a week, it’s a lot to ask!
I should also mention that the 4 containers for recycling are supplied by the comune. You could always use trash bags or boxes to transport your recycling. It’s really up to you!
Our biggest container is what we put all of our paper in. It still doesn’t hold all of my cardboard from breaking down the multitude of amazon packages I order! Amazon has been a real gift here since I don’t really know where to go yet for what I’m looking for.
I also buy a lot of things on amazon because I can use google translate and not have to spend forever searching in the stores. The downfall, sometimes I randomly find the items in the store for much cheaper, after I already purchased it on amazon for over triple the price! Ouch, that hurts!
With no importance at all, I use the medium container for my plastic and the small container for my glass/aluminum. Just in case you were wondering. 🙂
The Trash & Recycling System:
Spazzatura….doesn’t it have a beautiful ring to it? It’s the Italian word for trash. It’s the only thing beautiful about it. The trash and recycling receptacles where we live in Italy are outside on the road. Rain or shine or in my case this season, snow! Brrrrrrr! I bundle up from head to toe to walk there and get rid of the waste.
The system is as follows:
Plastica (plastic):
The big yellow container is for plastic. Examples would be plastic water bottles, yogurt tubs, empty toothpaste bottles, and disposable cups. I found it interesting that you are NOT to recycle plastic cutlery though. Don’t ask me! I have no clue why.
Organico (compost):
This vessel requires a key to use it. The key comes from the city hall. I just found out from a friend, that supposedly the key helps the city to keep track of how much compost and trash you create and they tax you based on usage. Crazy!!
Garbage disposals are nearly non-existent in Italy so a big part of what goes in your trashcan are food scraps. It’s not such a big deal for us since we have a dog that we love to spoil!!
If you collect this compost material, it helps to reduce the amount of non-recyclable trash. You can accumulate meat bones, fruit rinds, egg shells, coffee bean grounds, used paper towels and napkins. All of these things can go into the Organico bin.
Indifferenziato (general waste):
Then there is my least favorite, the trash. I have a big problem with the way this garbage ordeal is set up. It is almost like a casino game, as in, when you finally walk away, you are usually upset.
I have found myself super frustrated with this thing. Actually, the day I was videotaping for a friend, my husband’s aunt was caught in action with why this thing is ultra-annoying.
Check out the video below for a good laugh. Keep in mind when I taped this, I had no idea that Marco and I were going to start a blog. This was just a simple video for a friend. I was unaware of basically all things trash & recycling in Italy and I had not learned about the organico holder yet. I had never even used it at this point!
This container also requires that key from the city hall. First, you stick the key in, and it opens a tiny spot for you to put a super small bag of trash inside. Then you pull down on a lever (like a game at the casino) and the lever forces the container to close with your trash inside.
The only problem is (you will witness this if you watch the video…just go watch it, trust me!) if your bag is too big, it gets stuck. You can’t pull your key out until the machine is completely closed and it will give you a heck of a time yanking on that lever before it reopens for you. It is a royal pain.
Carta (paper):
The next container is white and it’s for paper. This includes cardboard boxes, paper shopping bags, newspapers, etc. Not all things paper go in this receptacle though! Anything that has been soiled like used paper towels, pizza boxes with grease stains, or even receipts from stores, should not be put in this bin! These things will go in either compost or waste.
Multimateriale (mixed materials):
The last container is green for glass (that’s how I remember it!) and other materials. Here we put empty wine bottles (lots!), tin cans, and aluminum foil. Notice how small the hole is? Ugh! I will admit, the sound of glass breaking in the bottom of the container really gives me joy. It feels fun to damage something when you are frustrated right?! Am I the only one?
The Stinky System is Satisfactory
Even though I found this system completely over-kill, I actually think it is really great. Italy has a goal of “rifiuti zero” (no waste) and is serious about making changes. In fact, some of the areas where you go to get rid of trash and recycling have video surveillance. If you aren’t doing the task properly, they can fine you! Most importantly, Italians are doing their part to save our planet, if you move to their country, please respect it!
Special Scenarios
When recycling in Italy, there are a few special scenarios where you are not able to place certain items in any of the receptacles mentioned above. These items include:
- Batteries– these bins are usually smaller and located near facilities that sell batteries. You can also dispose of them at the local dump.
- Medicine– you can get rid of old medicine vials at the pharmacy.
- Garden debris– oftentimes in parking lots there is a huge green bin that has no lid, for you to throw in tree trimmings, etc.
Want to Donate?
Instead of throwing away perfectly good items, you can take them to special yellow bins called “Raccolta Indumenti Usati”. Driving around town you will see them randomly, usually in parking lots. Once a week, a non-profit organization picks them up and disburses the items to the needy. Just note- the clothes have to be in good condition and placed in a plastic bag before dropping off.
Need more help getting rid of trash and recycling?
This website is awesome if you live in Northern Italy because you can enter the name your comune (city) and your language! There’s tons of info on all of the things I briefly outlined for you specific to where you live.
Here is an example of a printable guide in English from the website above.
If you are still stumped, information about your trash and recycling system should be available via your comune, or town hall.
What do you think about Italy’s trash and recycling system? Comment below and let me know if you can’t believe it and it would be an annoying change for you or if you don’t think it’s that big of a deal.
Now it’s no longer a dirty little secret and you are prepared if you are planning on moving here to Italy!!
XOXOXO
