The new minimum quality requirements for the collection of municipal waste are here. They must be guaranteed at both a technical and contractual level by the municipal companies and management companies towards customers. And above all, the new standards are valid for the entire national territory. This was established by Arera, the Authority that regulates the energy, water and waste sectors, with the latest resolution 15/2022/R/ref approved on January 18 and released today, Friday.
It is not technical information, as it may appear. The Arera decision, expected in a critical sector with alarming situations and often extremely inefficient management, aims to restore homogeneity in the sector as with difficulty - but with already visible results - it has been done in the public water management sector.
“The new minimum technical and contractual standards – specifies the Arera press release – will enter into force from 1 January 2023, but the regulation obliges the territorially competent bodies to choose, by 31 March 2022, one of the four regulatory schemes envisaged (from minimum to advanced), based on the effective starting level of service, identifying any costs connected to the adaptation to the obligations within the Economic and Financial Plan (PEF) 2022-2025″.
Is this the beginning of the end of the mountains of rubbish piled up on sidewalks and squares as can be seen in Rome, Naples and many Italian cities (not just in the South)? The intent of the Arera is clear and it is to push management to converge towards better and more homogeneous quality standards throughout the country. A bet that is not insignificant but that can be won.
WASTE, BETTER CONTRACTS FOR CUSTOMERS
The main obligations associated with contractual quality will concern the management of requests for activation, variation and termination of the service, complaints, requests for information and correction of the amounts charged. The new rules will also concern the methods and frequency of payment, the installment and repayment of undue amounts, the collection of waste on call or the repair of equipment for home collection. As far as technical quality is concerned, there will be obligations and standards relating to the continuity, regularity and safety of the service.
By way of example: according to the rules of Contract quality – explains the Authority – all managements will have to adopt a punctual procedure for the activation, variation or termination of the waste service, specifying the times available to users and the consequences in the event of expiry of the terms. The procedures for managing the data must be applied complaints and make sure the times of response provided by the Authority. All managements will also have to guarantee specific methods of installment payments taking into account in particular the vulnerable families already beneficiaries of the social bonus for economic hardship envisaged for the electricity and/or gas and/or water sectors.
WASTE, TECHNICAL QUALITY RISES
Compared to Technical quality, will take on relevance continuity and regularity of service, for which all managements will have to create one container mapping roadside/proximity collection and set up a program of collection and transport and street sweeping and washing activities which provides for the indication of the date and time band of the service for each road/street. Standards, such as the duration of interruptions, the punctuality of the collection and transport and/or street sweeping and washing service, will vary according to the initial conditions.
The quality data, both technical and contractual, must be published by the managers on their websites and may also be subject to publication on the web by ARERA (with a view to transparency, already applied in the water and energy sectors) to allow citizens the verification of services in their territories and the comparison with other realities.
