Press Office

  Press release no. 428

The Municipality of Ragusa's new urban waste management service has been formally operational for several weeks. The contract is currently in the necessary testing phase, a crucial technical and logistical period to calibrate local operations in light of the service's significant innovations.

What's changing? Below is a summary of the main changes.

-          1. Bins: A new distribution system will update the database, verifying existing users and identifying illegal users. The new bins will be "smart," capable of measuring the residual fraction with the aim of supporting the introduction of pay-as-you-throw pricing.

-          2. Abandoned Waste: The removal of abandoned waste is moving from an optional service to a regular service. In the summer, the team dedicated to the outdoor areas and those adjacent to the historic center will operate 6 days a week (instead of 3). The frequency of intervention of vehicles equipped with spiders for medium and large piles will double.

-          3. Inspections: Inspection activities will be supported by an additional 20 camera traps. Geolocalization of reports is planned, as well as an agreement for surveillance activities.

-          4. Mobile Ecological Islands: 4 computerized and manned "mobile" ecological islands will be deployed throughout the territory

-          5. Stationary Ecological Islands: 3 “stationary” ecological islands are planned (1 in the Historic Centre, 2 in the Marina) for Non-Domestic Users, accessible 24 hours a day with a health card or badge.

-          6. Non-Domestic Users (NDU): For organic waste, plastic, steel, aluminum, and glass, two additional weekly collections are scheduled in April, May, October, and December. Selective cardboard collections reach a frequency of 7 out of 7 in the designated areas.

-          7. Glass Collection: Starting in November, glass collection for households will be carried out on the first and third Wednesday of every month. If necessary, residents can dispose of their waste at recycling centers.

-          8. Tourist Decorum: A "tourist kit" will be distributed to accommodation facilities to manage waste disposal outside of the collection calendar.

-          9. Personal Absorbent Products (PAP): Collection becomes a dedicated service with 5 weekly interventions by appointment.

-          10. Street Sweeping: The service scope now includes the interior areas of municipal buildings and schools. In Marina di Ragusa, during the summer months, an afternoon team has been established to operate daily, along with an additional evening team on weekends. A Sunday sweeping service will be added during the summer, starting at 5:00 a.m.

-          11. Drains: The cleaning of street drains is being expanded, going from 3,447 to approximately 6,500.

-          12. Litter bins: 120 more street bins than the auction base is planned, as well as 3 smart compacting bins.

-          13. Weeding: Weeding now includes small flowerbeds, traffic islands and in spring the cleaning of trees from suckers, with the use of organic or steam weeding for 12 annual interventions.

-          14. Fountains and Graffiti: 12 annual graffiti and poster removal services. Fountain cleaning has also been included in the basic services.

-          15. New experimental specific services such as the removal of chewing gum from cobblestones and oil stains from luxury flooring.

-          16. Reuse: 2 Exchange and Reuse Centers will be created, 1 of which will be located in the City Center.

-          17. Beaches: "Waste Fishing" project with the supply of a Seabin device.

-          18. Vegetable oils: 10 computerized C-Boxes will be positioned.

-          19. Hazardous Waste: Street cleaning now includes the collection of abandoned syringes. The contract also regulates the collection of medicines and batteries using dedicated containers.

-          20. Toll-free number and app: A toll-free number and an app dedicated to tracking user requests will be activated.

-          21. Social: The new "Ragusa Ricicla" social media channels have already been activated, official profiles of the Municipality of Ragusa for all communications related to waste management.

Other, more technical improvements concern various other areas such as mowing, pruning, management of Posidonia oceanica, salt in case of snow, home composting and in schools.

"The new contract began a few weeks ago," said Mayor Peppe Cassì, "and is currently undergoing a natural run-in period. At this stage, we're not looking for enthusiasm, but rather focusing on the facts and the organizational scale. Already, thanks to new technologies, we can monitor the steps and interventions performed corner by corner, seeing how and when an area is dirtied and cleaned. Unlike the 2017 contract, this transforms dozens of services that were previously optional, or managed on a one-off basis, into structured and scheduled interventions throughout the municipality.
The delivery of the new bins will be a crucial step in mapping the area and identifying those who still evade the rules. We will monitor the service's evolution based exclusively on data, cross-checks, and the actual improvement in urban decorum.

  "The contractual documents," says Environment Councilor Gianni Giuffrida, "are clear and outline a very detailed list of tasks the company must fulfill. We've included stringent digitalization requirements: from tracking waste disposals to using artificial intelligence to identify violations. We've expanded critical operations, from weeding to the cleaning of 6,500 drains, including weed control and pest control among our basic services. With the digital reading system, we'll finally have real control over who disposes of waste correctly and who fails to comply with the service. I thank the offices, technicians, and everyone who has worked tirelessly to ensure Ragusa has a better-defined urban hygiene service, better suited to the city's real needs."