Thanks to the collaboration between AMIU, the Municipality of Levante and ESO, on April 10, 2018 a new “Betty’s Garden” was inaugurated in Via Apparizione, on the hills of Genoa, made with the recycled sports shoes of the Genoese people.
Always attentive to waste separation and the subjects of sustainability and recycling, the people of Genoa continue to faithfully donate their old sports shoes by dropping them into the containers that AMIU has installed at 26 collection points around the city.
The recycled material has been used to make the safety surfacing for the “Betty’s Garden” created on the grounds of the Colombo pre-school at Via Apparizione 16.
Over 2,500 pairs of used sports shoes were used to make the surfacing of the new 35 m² playground, an educational message teaching children the value of separate waste collection.
Attending the inauguration were Tiziana Merlino, Director of AMIU Genoa, the Councillor for Civic Services, Patrizia Arrighetti of the Municipality of Levante and Nicolas Meletiou. “This Garden”, explained Tiziana Merlino, “has allowed us to recover an outdoor green space for the children of Via Apparizione. It is a real, tangible example of what can be achieved through separate waste collection and quality recycling. We will now focus on developing our collection points”.
Besides being a symbol of the recycling of materials, in fact, the creation of the new Garden is also a useful way to redevelop part of an area of the city and a way to thank the residents for their efforts in reducing waste. The Garden also became home to an old recycling bin that was salvaged from the street and transformed into a playground element for children to play in.
“We are thrilled that our collaboration with AMIU has produced a new “Betty’s Garden” in the city, says Nicolas Meletiou. “This confirms that recycling is a value to the people of Genoa, that they are well aware of the importance of separate waste collection and that from the recycling cycle waste can be transformed into a resource and returned to the community in a new form – a beautiful playground for children.”