La Spezia

La Spezia, Italy

Over the last years, the Municipality of La Spezia has been implementing programs and paths aimed at the adaptation of the economic and environmental fabric to a rapid and profound change, shifting towards a circular urban system with interventions in two target sectors: waste management and mobility. In the municipality, separate collection has been implemented since 2006. Acam Ambiente is the Iren Group company that carries out environmental hygiene services in the province of La Spezia, managing the integrated waste cycle for approximately 205.000 users. In 2019, most of the municipalities managed by Acam Ambiente reached a percentage of separate waste collection equal to or greater than 75%.
Separate collection of municipal waste includes five separate fractions

  • Paper and cardboard; 
  • Plastic and metal; 
  • Glass;
  • Organic waste;
  • Non-recyclable residual waste. 

Waste management

Separate collection is carried out within the territory in two different ways: house-to-house separate collection, also known as "door-to-door" and separate collection through “Isole Zonali” (areas with dumpsters only accessible by the local residents using a personal magnetic card). This controlled access collection system allows to monitor the waste collection for each individual user with computerized systems, through the ECO-CARD access. Each of these areas is equipped with a video surveillance system to better control the phenomena of waste abandonment. A widespread information campaign was launched through specific communications and posters on the concerned buildings. Activities to promote home-composting good practices are included, thanks to a video course for consumers. Finally, the school project "Remove the from my glass" is worth mentionionig. It aims to raise environmental awareness and to encourage virtuous behaviors through the active participation of students and through the close and effective collaboration between schools and territory. The involvement of the Municipal Administration and IREN-ACAM Ambiente has given benefits in terms of concreteness, contextualization and professionalism. The project involved two junior high schools, “J. Piaget” and “V. Alfieri”.

Transforming Mobility

The Municipality of La Spezia has won a tender from the Ministry of Transport, allowing a profound transformation of city mobility. This is an intervention for the construction of new trolleybus lines and for the extension of existing lines for the enhancement of the service within municipality of La Spezia, thus implementing the Urban Sustainable Mobility Plan. Thanks to this project, the electrification of public transport in the city center will be almost completed: new 18-meter trolley buses, natural-gas-powered buses, doubling of park-and-ride facilities and the restyling of the La Spezia Migliarina railway station, the future terminus of the 5Terre Express - thus available to cruise passengers and to relieve traffic from the Central Station - will be introduced. The Municipality of La Spezia has also presented a project as part of the PrIMUS Program for the enhancement of the "Speziainbici" bike sharing service. The project was eligible for the ministerial funding by decree of the General Directorate General for climate, energy and air of the Ministry of Land and Sea Protection.