“For four years I managed our condominium and engaged with everyone to participate in the project. One of the best moments was when we won a competition proposed by Enel. We collected an enormous quantity of recyclables and our building won containers for waste management. It was a very happy and proud moment for all of us”
Right destination for waste
The Ecoenel project is reaching its tenth anniversary. The initiative joins innovation and sustainability to help face a global challenge: giving the right destination to recyclable waste. Carlo Zorzoli, Enel Brasil Country Manager, adds that environmental concerns are a fundamental part of the company’s corporate culture:
“We put environmental and economic sustainability at the centre of all our practices and decisions to generate shared value. During those ten years we accumulated more than awards: we were part of a collective construct, with a collection of stories of cooperation and citizenship empowerment”
Promoting responsible attitudes
Citizenship is also the watchword within Dona Mirtes’ family. As well as having worked for four years in an environmental education project for children, Mirtes also taught her own grandchildren Raquel and Daniel, aged 15 and 12, to worry about future generations from an early age:
“My grandchildren save every soda can, every toilet paper roll. It takes some effort but it is good for the planet and for our pocket. As the old proverb says, ‘great oaks from little acorns grow”
From January to April, over 35 thousand tonnes of waste were collected by the Ecoenel project in Brazil. Three years ago the initiative was expanded with the creation of the Econdomínios programme. Currently, in addition to Dona Mirtes’ building, a van visits various condominiums in Niterói to provide a mobile waste management service. As well as credits on their energy bills, the participating condominiums get advice on how to improve their waste storage and management, contributing to a sustainable future.
Materials that can be recycled through the initiative:
- Paper and card – including Tetra Pak cartons
- Plastic – PET bottles, packaging, etc
- Glass – bottles, glasses, dishes, containers and others
- Cans
- Metal items – including wire and nails
- Kitchen oil
Do as Dona Mirtes’ family: help the environment and get discounts on your electricity bill.
