On three days over the festive season Rome residents can dispose of their empty packaging at 27 recycling points across the city, and in return enter a draw to win one of 19 environmentally-friendly mopeds. On 27 Dec, 2 Jan and 5 Jan, the drop-off points will be open 14.00-19.00 to receive unwanted packaging made of paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, aluminium and cloth. In the centre of the city there will be collections at Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II in the Esquilino area, Via Annia corner Via Ostilia near the Colosseum, and Piazza S. Giovanni De Matha in Trastevere; for other locations tel. 060606. Residents who take their rubbish to one of the postazioni ecologiche can fill in a card to enter the lottery, which will be drawn at 15.30 on 6 Jan at the Globe Theatre in Villa Borghese. From 9 Dec until 25 Dec rubbish collections from shops and traders have been doubled to cope with the seasonal rise in waste packaging.

Meanwhile 11 Jan has been designated Christmas tree collection day. Four isole ecologiche run by AMA will be open 07.00-13.00 at Ponte Mammolo, Via P. Togliatti, Via Laurentina and Piazza Giovanni Battista Bottero in Ostia to receive the trees, as will six centri attrezzati at Tufello, Villa Ada, Boccea, Prenestina, Ostiense and Acilia. For more information tel. 060606. Trees that are still alive will be replanted while dead ones will be used to make compost.