more than500

attendees

EVENTS

7

MULTIDISCIPLINARY

TEAM

€€€

PROVIDE ASSETEUROPEAN FUNDING PROGRAMME

European Commission, Directorate-General for the EnvironmentLIFE Sub-programme “Policy and governance”grant agreement LIFE10 ENV/IT/000331

CONTRIBUTORS & PARTNERSHIP

Research expertise - Local Authorities - Social and citizenship expertise 1. Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica – CNR, Pisa2. Fondazione Mario Negri Sud, Lanciano3. CTR Ambiente e Salute - ARPA Emilia-Romagna, Modena4. Associazione Medici per l'Ambiente ISDE Italia, Arezzo 5. Coordinamento delle Agende 21 locali italiane, Modena6. Comune di Lanciano 7. Dipartimento Prevenzione - USL 8, Arezzo 8. Provincia di Chieti

MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a tool to support decision-making and includes methods of democratic and transparent participation. HIA is a systematic process to identify positive and negative impacts of a proposal on health and well-being of affected communities. HIA recom-mendations can suggest amendments of the preliminary project to achieve health targets as well as equity and sustainability. The HIA21 project demonstrated a best practice of HIA in waste management in two different Italian areas, the municipalities of Arezzo and Lanciano (CH).

SOCIAL ISSUES OF MUNICIPAL WASTE MANAGMENT

Taking a decision about the new interprovincial plan, the involvement of the social component made possible to establish mutual trust between opposing parties. The participatory approach produced a democratic decisio-making process and a more sustainable management of waste. The HIA contributed to building scientific evidence, specific of the study area, useful to evaluate the opportunity of doubling the treatment ca-pacity of the municipal solid waste incinerating plant, located in Arezzo municipality.

BUILD EVIDENCEENVIRONMENT, HEALTH AND SOCIOECONOMIC INDICATORS

The direct effects of the waste management strategy, centered on incineration, were assessed from an environmental monitoring campaign and the health status at the baseline. Measurements were produced for air, soil and noise, and also risks estimates for reproduction, mortality and disease in the communities near the plant. The impact of PM10 emissions from the incinerator was estimated through an epidemiological cohort study on more than 50,000 subjects residing within the exposed area at least from 10 years. The distribution of socio-economic determinants and the differences in the perception of risk were explored through specific questionnaires. Significant differences in some areas of risk perception were highlighted among residents within and outside 4 km around the plant.

ENGAGE STAKEHOLDERSSTAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION MODEL

The involvement of the social component was modeled on the basis of the citizen forum of Agenda 21 and adapted to include focus groups of citizens. Stakeholders participation was aimed at developing ownership and commitment to the project objectives in the local administrators and to create close cooperation between scientists, technical agencies and local citizens during the scoping of the project and the knowledge building. The public forums were held to discuss processes, methods and results. In addition, the two focus group sessions with citizen volunteers provided qualitative and area-specific evidence to improve the asses-sment of impacts. At each event, participants chose whether to sign up on registries and provide a contact. Suggestions and criticisms that emerged were included in the final recommendations to decision makers. A full sharing of the results was realized during the project through leaflets, brochures and the website according to the criteria of transparency.

IMPELENT PARTICIPATIONACTIVITIES WITH NON-EXPERTS STAKEHOLDERS

Training and information were accomplished during numerous events that were attended by more than 500 participants. The city councilor in charge with the waste responsibility and the technical experts from the public administrations attended meetings and forums, and animated the discussion. Citizens and representatives of civic associations provi-ded their contacts and voluntarily signed on a register during forums and focus groups. Tips and considerations that emerged were included in the final recommendations to decision-makers. The full agreement of the results was carried out during the project through flyers, brochures and website in agreement with transparency criteria.

IMPROVE GOVERNANCESUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT POLICY

The local government authorities regarded the HIA recommendations in the decision about the new plan for waste management. The curbside collection strategy as well as a program of sustainable waste manage-ment including its reduction were implemented to improve the gover-nance of the waste cycle in the short term. An ambitious target for the separate collection and a limited re-powering of the incinerator were set in the plan to achieve long term objectives. The HIA process contri-buted to take a different decision and improve trust among involved parties pursuing the reduction of environmental impacts and the pro-motion and the protection of health.

Include Society and Share Knowledge to Improve Policy Choises

RISKPERCEPTION

Incenerator is a healthy hazard?

Would move to healther area?

Incinerator makes me hungry

I would know how to ask my doubts

The environ situation is serius

0-4Km

92% 67%

31%

27%

34%

29%

85%

65%

59%

53%

4-10Km

industrialarea

highway

180 12.4PM10(average ng/m3)

RISK TRENDS

SOURCES

POPULATION

RISKH vs L

near far

50.871HIGH MEDIUM LOW

+61% preterm birth

+18%* cardiovascular desease

+56%* respiratory desease

{3153 newborn2401 mothers

RISKEVALUATION

inceneratingplant

0.15

ACTIONS

Awareness about wastein the community

Monitoring of indicators on waste production

Monitoring of target goals

Adoption of 4R’s program

8forumevents

4stakeholder

meeting

7focus group

events

3technicalmeeting

EVENTS STAKE-HOLDERS

financialinstitute

2business

enterprises

2local

media

4private

researchinstitutes

5politicalparties

5professional corporations

7social

cooperatives

7local

government institutions

14civic

associations

2NGO

145

people

60people

60people

418people

+10% vs national low

+30% vs current rate

NEW PLAN

target 2020separate

collection

tons/year burned-25.000

70%in

fogr

aphi

c by

Luc

a Se

rasi

ni a

nd N

unzi

a Li

nzal

one,

IFC-

CNR

* statistically

signific

ant

HIA 21 - Partecipatory Assessment of the Health, Enviromental and Socioeconomic Impacts resulting from Urban Waste Treatment

Comune diLANCIANO

EUROPEAN FUNDING PROGRAMME CONTRIBUTORS & PARTNERSHIP

Project AREZZOCASE STUDY