Press Releases

Acea and Fiera Roma sign an agreement regarding “Smart Comp”,
the multiutility’s project that aims to recover organic waste using a zero kilometer method

Fiera Roma will become the first “organic waste free” company in italy thanks to the
diffused composting system created by Acea

Acea, multiutility operating in the energy, water and waste sectors, and Fiera Roma, the exhibition complex of the capital, have signed a partnership agreement designed to create new sustainable solutions in the field of the circular economy by developing a series of shared projects. The subject of the agreement is the Acea Smart Comp™project, staged by Acea in collaboration with ENEA and Università della Tuscia, which aims to implement a system for the diffused, shared management of the organic waste produced by large users (cafeterias, hospitals, shopping malls, airports and stations) in a bid to reduce the environmental impacts of the waste processing and transportation operations, also reducing the CO2 emissions.

The main development actions envisaged by the agreement entail ACEA supplying the Smart Comp system that will enable FIERA ROMA to optimize the consolidated aerobic composting process with the support of advanced monitoring technology, providing a cutting edge way to manage its organic waste, by transforming it into compost in the place where it is produced. The agreement also envisages: the possibility of developing campaigns for raising awareness about waste recycling during the events organized by FIERA ROMA; research on the benefits obtained by fertilizing grassy areas with compost, in terms of water savings, and the possibility of creating transversal partnerships and synergies related to the project.

Thanks to this agreement FIERA ROMA will become the first “organic waste free” company in Italy. That is, the first company capable of managing and processing the organic waste it produces in a systematic, eco-friendly way. Indeed, using mini composting plants, it will be possible to transform organic waste into compost directly in the place where it is produced, by way of an aerobic process that produces ready-to-use quality fertilizers in approximately 90 days. ACEA will provide a dedicated support and management service for the machine, which measures about 4 meters long and 2 meters wide and can be adapted to suit the user’s requirements. By being the first company in Italy to participate in this innovative project, FIERA ROMA wants to play a key role in offering an economic, eco-friendly solution for the disposal of the City’s waste. The synergy between ACEA and FIERA ROMA also aims to disseminate a virtuous model that sets a perfect example of circular economy to a wider audience, thanks to the large international visitor flow that passes through the exhibition complex.

ACEA’s objective is to install 250 SmartComp plants by 2022, so creating a diffused system with a 25,000 ton annual capacity – the equivalent of a plant managing organic waste produced by a town with 250,000 residents – that saves 30% on management costs and significantly lowers CO2 emissions: approximately 3600 fewer tons would be released by eliminating the 5,000 truck journeys required to transport the waste by road, equal to about 6,000 fewer kilometers traveled. In August 2019 ACEA launched its own initial in-house trial and has already installed a Smart Comp in its own cafeteria; from March 2020 onwards, the compost produced there will be used on the grassy areas of the Company’s plants.

With this project, ACEA places itself at the forefront of waste transition, a new zero kilometer waste management system with important effects on the environment thanks to the reduction in greenhouse gases achieved by eliminating the waste collection and transportation stages.