Campaign to Ban Plastic Bottles In Venice Launched

10/06/2010 - 14:34

@font-face { font-family: "Cambria";}@font-face { font-family: "Garamond";}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 20pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } 20 million tourists visit Venice every year leaving behind 13 million plastic bottles. Many of these end up as landfill or clogging up the canals and lagoon. The bottles do not biodegrade for hundreds of years endangering our environment and marine life. It is no wonder virtually every tourist to Venice can be seen clutching the ubiquitous plastic bottles when the provision of public water fountains remains a well-kept secret. They are unmarked, unpublicised, and appear old and corroded. No surprise that tourists, already suspicious of 'foreign' tap water, ignore them. A campaign launched today aims to collect 100,000 signatures to present to the Mayor of Venice before Christmas to start a campaign to publicise the public fountains and the fact that they contain drinking water. In the longer term, the campaign will be pressing for a ban of plastic bottles on the Venice isles. These goals are easily to implement and will save the local economy money. Please support the campaign by signing the petition on http://www.veniceinfosite.com/Venice_Info_Site/Our_campaigns.html Thanks for your help, David

Topic

Society

Comment

Not so sure the idea has been thought through properly. Ban plastic bottles - shops will either sell fizzy drinks and 'juices' in bottles, cans or TetraPaks - these will still get dumped - bottles smash [danger of injury], cans rust, tetrapaks clog everything up. Also - frisk tourists to make sure they don't bring any plastic bottles in? Anyone thought it might be cafes etc dumping their plastic bottles in the canals to save on rubbish collection charges?

I think the petition should be about zero tolerance of dumping any kind of litter but folk have to walk around with their drinks - too draconian for me.

Hi, thanks for the replies. The campaign sets out very pragmatic steps to improve the situation. Firstly, we are asking that the public fountains be publicised and labelled. Tourists arrive and in many cases (i.e from USA) already mistrust tap water and in any event are oblivious to these fountains. Secondly, the fountains are in many cases very corroded. So looking dreadful and ignored by most they do not convey the impression that the water that continuously gushes forth is drinkable.The second goal is to have these replaced. There are further measures that can be taken. Public fountains in Florence and Cinque Terre provide chilled and sparkling water, and in the latter recyclable flasks are sold for Euro 1 each. Of course, a ban on plastic bottles as has happened in Cinque Terre would be great and remains a campaign goal. Making the transition to an eventual ban of plastic bottles does need to be carefully thought through, planned and costed. That is the job of city planners. Our starting point is to press for the simpler measures that can make a big dfference to the waste problem and ensure these actions are taken up by the new administration of Venice, not to plan the detail of an eventual ban.These steps are set out on our Website.The last Mayor of Venice spent money promoting the drinking of tap water to the 60,000 residents: we think that was the wrong target given the fact that Venice attracts attracts around 20 million toruists each year and that the time is right to press the new Mayor to take action. David Time for Tap Campaign www.veniceinfosite.com

It might not be easy but it has to be right. To use something once that then lasts for a hundred years is madness. Of course there are problems but we need to start somewhere. Weren't we al told having a home in Italy was madness but we did it. Who would have thought the cigarette ban would have largely worked, but it has. C'mon guys, get positive and sign the petition. You need ot scroll to the bottom of a fairly lousy website but the plan is good F

Thanks for the support! Yes, the Website is lousy but is being completely designed (re-design would be too kind!) for an end October launch. We took the decision to launch the campaign meanwhile internationally but are holding off launching to the Italian media until the new Website is complete. David

Well done for raising this - why is it that whenever anyone attempts to do anything to reduce pollution and improve the environment the measures get labeled 'draconian' or a way to deprive the larger population of it's rights? No one has a God given right to create pollution or drink water from a plastic bottle. If the drinking water fountains are well marked and sign posted then there is no need to buy bottled water.In the restaurants we go to in Abruzzo water usually comes to the table in a glass bottle.I'm not sure I've ever had it in a plastic bottle. I'll certainly be signing the petition

Every one to their own. But I want to carry my water around and I don't drop it as litter. As I say there should be zero tolerance of all litter dropping. I am not in favour of banning single items when it does not alone serve to get rid of litter problems. There are lots of other things which are littering up our towns and countryside. It would also be more effective to have a meaningful waste disposal and polloution drive- down plan that encompasses taking everything and the public with you. To criminalise decent individuals for carrying their water is not the answer IMHO.