The municipality of Vila Real de Santo António launches, this week, a new awareness campaign that appeals to all pet owners for the importance of correctly collecting their dog or cat waste, warning of the consequences that bad practices civic activities entail.
The message used in the campaign shows the inconveniences and ridiculous situations that can happen to those who walk on public roads – if the owners do not pick up the waste of their animals -, recreating everyday situations, already experienced by everyone.
“Spots and communication materials are based on strong and repulsive images that aim to raise awareness of the importance of always picking up animal waste, in order to promote harmony in coexistence, in public space, between animals and citizens”, explains the municipality.
The purpose is to show pet owners that their misconduct «constitutes a public health problem» and that the waste left on the sidewalks and gardens «dirty a space that belongs to everyone».
“A simple gesture such as removing canine waste with the help of a bag, which must be deposited, properly tied, in a container or litter bin, makes all the difference”, adds the VRSA Chamber.
Fines from 25 to 7 thousand euros
In addition to the informative aspect, the campaign communicates the obligation and responsibility of owners in removing canine waste from public roads, remembering that if they do not, they are subject to the payment of fines provided for in the Municipal Regulation on Waste and Urban Cleaning of the municipality of VRSA, whose values start at 25 euros and can exceed 7 thousand euros.
The campaign will be launched, in a first phase, on social networks, on the Municipality's website and on the municipality's network of billboards and billboards. Subsequently, posters will be posted in municipal buildings and services, Parish Councils, Health Centers and schools in the county.
The actions to be developed also include the placement of information panels in gardens, green spaces and places where more complaints have been registered, as well as the distribution of a leaflet through the mailboxes.
At the same time, the municipality will focus on the more efficient cleaning of canine waste in all parishes, appealing, at the same time, to the collaboration of all citizens in order to keep the streets and green spaces cleaner.
A public health problem
Failure to collect canine waste is a behavior that endangers public health and the hygiene of collective spaces. In addition to bad odors, dirt and visual issues, they can generate serious diseases for the population and for the animals themselves.
In this way, the campaign appeals to the individual responsibility of each one, remembering that users of public spaces can also play a more active role, demanding that pet owners have a civic and responsible behavior.
With these measures, the Municipality of Vila Real de Santo António intends to increase the levels of urban hygiene in the municipality, making it more sustainable and with a better quality of life. The campaign is developed in partnership with the company EcoAmbiente, responsible for cleaning and collecting MSW in the municipality of VRSA.
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