Marevivo's information campaign returns, in collaboration with BAT Italy and under the patronage of the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, dedicating its fifth edition to the proper disposal of WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment).

According to a research conducted by SWG, Italians still know little about WEEE. Only 4 out of 10 can correctly define it, and 10% confuse it with a tax. Only 1 in 3 people perceive E-cigarettes as WEEE.

WEEE and recycling: Marevivo’s campaign evolves, and for the 2024 edition, it also focuses on electronic devices, becoming an “awareness platform”

However, the commitment to fighting littering remains strong: 5 Italian municipalities will create installations in the city's nerve centers with the reproduction of the "crime scene", which was widely successful in previous campaign editions.

Rome, 13 June 2024

In 2023, over 349,000 tons of WEEE were collected [1], a weight equivalent to more than 990 fully loaded passenger planes (Boeing 777) [2]. This seemingly large number is minimal, considering it is only 36% of the total of the WEEE that is thrown away [3]. WEEE, or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, can become a valuable resource if disposed of in collection areas managed by municipalities or specific disposal points. Yet, Italians still do not know much about them. Only 4 out of 10 can correctly define WEEE, and 10% confuse them with a tax. Even those who know about them mostly think they are large appliances like TVs, refrigerators, and computers. Only 1 in 3 Italians know that WEEE also includes smaller everyday objects like e-cigarettes, with 1 in 5 believing that small WEEE can be thrown in general waste without releasing toxic substances [4]. These are the data reported by the SWG report on Italians and WEEE. Marevivo started exactly from this data to launch in collaboration with BAT Italy and under the patronage of the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security the fifth edition of the "Small Gestures, Big Crimes" campaign, whose purpose it to correctly inform about small WEEE and their disposal.

"The recycling of small WEEE is essential to reduce the environmental damage caused by their improper disposal", says Raffaella Giugni, General Secretary of Marevivo. "We need to implement an ecological transition to curb the climate crisis, moving away from the unsustainable linear economy model that depletes natural resources, produces short-lived goods that generate mountains of waste, and urgently shift to a circular economy. In this model, that mimics nature, everything transforms without creating waste, except for those that feed new life cycles. Small WEEE is an important resource. Useful resources can be extracted from them for the production cycle, metals, and valuable materials that become secondary raw materials, entering a virtuous economic and environmental cycle. Ecology is an integral part of economy and politics. Only a sustainable societal model can reverse the trend, save the planet, and ourselves."

Launched in 2020, the "Small Gestures, Big Crimes" initiative aims to raise awareness about the damage caused by littering, that is the act of discarding small waste items in the environment, with a particular focus on cigarette butt disposal. Over the years, this campaign has prevented 3,164,676 cigarette butts from being discarded improperly, enough to cover an area of 326 hectares, equivalent to about 466 soccer fields. This year, "Small Gestures, Big Crimes" returns with a renewed and specific focus: increasing awareness of the environmental impact of all small electrical and electronic devices if not properly disposed of and providing adequate training on a topic that concerns everyone. To reach a wider audience and disseminate the necessary information for proper WEEE management, the project will leverage the potential of the internet, living online, and placing "Small Gestures, Big Crimes" within the landscape of digital communication initiatives aimed at encouraging responsible behaviors towards the environment and society.

"We are proud and honored to be once again a partner of Marevivo's "Small Gestures, Big Crimes" campaign, which allows us to be part of a virtuous system involving citizens, tobacconists, and local administrations to achieve a common goal: protecting the environment", says Fabio de Petris, CEO of BAT Italy. "Today we observe a market that continues to evolve and embraces new categories of products. There are new generation products that, once exhausted, will become waste to be disposed of. This means that everyone must understand that, even though small in size, these products must also be correctly recycled. We are excited to collaborate with Logista for this year's edition: BAT, which has always been concerned about sustainability issues, was the first company in the sector to feel the need to adopt a proper disposal program, equipping, already in 2022, its temporary sales points with containers for collecting used devices and launching in 2023 a pilot project in Turin in partnership with Interzero Italy. We are therefore happy to actively participate in Logista's project, and we want to be at the forefront of promoting greater awareness of the correct disposal of used smoking electronic devices and encouraging consumers to do their part."

From“piccoli gesti, grandi crimini” to “Micro RAEE, Maxi Rifiuti”: here is the evolution of the 2024 Campaign

"They are small, so less harmful", "They don't contain recyclable materials", "Disposing of them is complicated". These are just 3 of the myths about micro WEEE that need to be debunked, highlighting how much still needs to be done on this issue. Therefore, the 2024 edition of "Piccoli Gesti, Grandi Crimini" will have a telling title: "Micro RAEE, Maxi Rifiuti". This represents a step further into the future, transforming the "crime scene" of past years into a real awareness platform, a container of multiple formats capable of reaching as broad and heterogeneous an audience as possible. The "ingredients" of this activity will range from interactive quizzes to unconventional videos, to a series of informational materials on the importance of correctly disposing of these products at dedicated collection centers (visit the website https://piccoligesti.eu/ for more information) and even a real-time updated map of tobacco shops collecting small WEEE. This latter initiative, in particular, is made possible by RECYCLE-CIG, the organized collection circuit for used e-cigarettes activated by Logista, the main integrated distribution operator to retail outlets in Europe. The RECYCLE-CIG project, to which BAT Italy adhered since its announcement, allows consumers to dispose of used e-cigarettes and smoking devices, regardless of the purchase of a new product, at one of the approximately 30,000 participating tobacconists.

"Thanks to the agreement with the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security and the WEEE Coordination Center", says María Pilar Colás, CEO of Logista Italy, "we have launched RECYCLE-CIG, the first organized collection network for used e-cigarettes in Italy, which constitutes a concrete support for the entire supply chain and all our customers and stakeholders. We have placed dedicated boxes in the approximately 30,000 participating tobacco shops, easily identifiable through the “Logista per te” App, where consumers can dispose of used e-cigarettes or devices without being required to purchase new ones. Soon, we will also launch an important awareness campaign on this topic". María Pilar Colás concluded by saying that "As Logista, we make our extensive distribution network available to “Micro WEEE, Maxi Waste”, which represents the strength of the RECYCLE-CIG project. We are also happy to share the expertise in terms of innovation and communication that we have developed on sustainability".

From digital to real: awareness days and "crime scenes" in 5 Italian municipalities

Although this year's theme is entirely dedicated to WEEE, Marevivo and BAT Italy remain committed to continuing the fight against littering, the abandonment of cigarette butts, and small waste in the environment by supporting municipalities that want to raise awareness among their citizens on the topic. Data shows that each year in Italy, 64% of cigarettes smoked in public places, including parks, gardens, squares, and streets, are improperly disposed of by discarding the butt on the ground. Therefore, in line with what has been done in previous years, municipalities that wish to join the initiative will receive the "kit" to create an installation representing a real "crime scene", where, next to the silhouettes of "victims" depicting turtles, fish, and starfish, a giant cigarette butt will be placed as a symbolic "murder weapon." For 2024, five kits are available for as many municipalities, with Procida and Sciacca already confirmed.

You can access the press kit, including images, at the following link: https://piccoligesti.eu/pressarea/

For more information:

Press Office: INC – National Institute for Communication

Mariagrazia Martorana +39 333 5761268 | m.martorana@inc-comunicazione.it

Ludovica Sampalmieri +39 345 4000009 | l.sampalmieri@inc-comunicazione.it

BAT Italy

Francesco Mancuso – Communication Manager +39 366 5764 671 | francesco_mancuso@bat.com

Filomena Casciani – Communication Executive +39 345 9736084 | filomena_casciani@bat.com

Marevivo Press Office

Madia Mauro - Communication Manager +39 347 0492505 | madia.mauro@marevivo.it - ufficiostampa@marevivo.it

Mila Cataldo – Social Media Strategist | mila.cataldo@marevivo.it

[1] WEEE Coordination Center, WEEE Report 2023, https://www.cdcraee.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/rapporto-RAEE-nazionale.pdf

[2] BAT Italy estimate calculated considering the weight of a fully loaded Boeing 777

[3] Istat, Annual Report 2023. The state of the country. Page 123, https://www.istat.it/storage/rapporto-annuale/2023/Rapporto-Annuale-2023.pdf  

[4] SWG data survey “Italians and the disposal of small WEEE”

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