Background With a view to enforcing the EEC Directive 94/62 on packaging and packaging waste and also comply with the requirements of Italian national law, which requires 35% of the packaging waste to be recovered by March 2004, the scope and the capabilities of the main waste management firms will have to be strengthened. In areas with a high numbers of tourists, one way of tackling the need to recover selected packaging waste, may be through the implementation of ad hoc technologies which aim to increase the overall rate of differentiated waste recovery, and the introduction of widespread communication campaigns directed at the tourists, which encourage the need for more environmentally friendly behaviours. Objectives The aim of the "GIDUT" project was to implement an innovative system for separating waste for recycling. The beaches of Rimini and Bellaria on the Adriatic coast were chosen for the first separate collection of waste. They attract a high number of tourists and were considered an ideal location for introducing a widespread communication campaign. The system was to be implemented at 290 beaches and was to involve 1690 hotels, a theme park which attracts 520 000 tourists per year, and more than 4000 commercial users on the coast in the separate collection of waste packaging. The project was to focus on different types of packaging (steel, aluminium, paper, wood, plastic, and glass). Young people were a primary target of the campaign with a view to encourage their respect for the coastal environment. The objectives were to: a) achieve a separate management system for waste produced on the coast; b) recycle over 50% of the waste; c) encourage tourists to have more respect for the environment; d) involve business operators in the management of the coastal environment; e) develop an ecological culture among young people. Results The "GIDUT" project involved a significant number of stakeholders in an innovative separate waste disposal system specifically designed for tourists. The project was the first of its kind in Italy. The initiative involved the installation of three new types of waste bins in the private supervised beach areas of Rimini and Bellaria Igea Marina in the Borough of Rimini (GIDUT prototypes) for the separated collection of different sorts of waste: steel/aluminium/paper/cardboard/wood, plastic and glass. An important and integral part of the project was the new “Centro Ambiente (Centre for the Environment)” located near to the theme park “Italia in Miniatura”. This area was designed for separate waste collection and, thanks to a magnetic card, a computer system can identify the kind of refuse and the person who has brought it in and a weighing system can measure the quantities. This Centre was also particularly innovative because of its special subject rooms (“green rooms for packaging recycling”) which were used in educational programmes about packaging production and recycling. Guided tours can be organised to increase visitor awareness about the correct procedures involved in packaging design, production, management and recycling as well as in packaging The project was particularly successful in involving schools at the local “Italia in Miniatura” theme-park, where a special section devoted to different waste materials was created. Furthermore, the beneficiary made considerable efforts in delivering several communication tools to promote the project name and objectives among the tourist population and other local stakeholders. These tools included stickers, banners, t-shirts, different types of posters, etc. Another positive result of the project is that the beneficiary has fully integrated the new waste recovery activity within its overall management system. From the summer of 2004, the project was expanded to include the beaches in the boroughs of Riccione and Cattolica. With regard to other results, the project did not fully reach its potential. The initial target of recycling 50% of the collected waste was not achieved. By 2004, only 33% of the waste was being recycled, however this rate was expected to improve. The overall assessment of the technical implementation of the project can be considered moderately positive. The project has gone some way towards fulfilling the implementation of EEC Directive 94/62 on packaging and packaging waste and offers an example of best practice for the proper management of beach areas. An ex-post evaluation of project’s medium-term outputs and impacts has been planned to take place in 2007.