Press Releases

Acea’s SmartComp plant will be installed at the “Salvo d’Acquisto” Carabinieri Station in Rome to process organic waste produced on site
An additional project to create a composting network involving all the stations in the Capital’s territory is also in the pipeline

Today, Acea and the Carabinieri military police force have signed a collaboration agreement for the implementation of innovative solutions to process organic waste based on a circular economy concept. The agreement was signed by the CEO of Acea, Giuseppe Gola, and the Commander of the 4th Division of the General Command of the Carabinieri, General B. Antonio Jannece. At the center of the agreement was Acea’s SmartComp™ mini plant, created in collaboration with Enea and the Tuscia University, which aims to diffuse a zero-kilometer system to manage organic waste produced by major users (e.g. canteens, hospitals, airports), and has a capacity of 40t/year. SmartComp, by way of an aerobic process that takes approximately 90 days, transforms organic waste into compost on site, with a positive impact on the environment, in line with the principals of circular economy and waste valorization.

The agreement stipulates that the Acea SmartComp plant will be installed at the “Salvo d’Acquisto” Station in the Tor di Quinto neighborhood in Rome; the two parties are also collaborating on a project to create a local composting network that will manage the organic waste of the other four Carabinieri Stations on Rome’s territory, to optimize waste processing.

Acea leads the way in the so-called waste transition: the transition to participatory and responsible waste management. The agreement signed today is an important step towards achieving the target of installing 150 SmartComp plants by 2024. This will allow to create a diffused waste processing system with a capacity of 15,000 tons per year, the equivalent of a local plant that manages organic waste produced by a town of 150,000 people. The benefits can be quantified as 2,160 tons less of CO₂ emissions produced and approximately 3,000 less trucks on the roads. Equivalent to approximately 3.6 million less vehicle kilometers traveled.

Gen. B. Antonio Jannece said: Today, the Carabinieri Force and Acea have signed an agreement to study and identify new possible collaborations aimed at developing projects involving technological innovation, circular economy, and sustainability. The Force intends and has the duty to lead by example managing its activities in an environmentally responsible manner. In this context, it considers Acea a great strategic partner with whom it can collaborate on innovative and smart oriented projects.”
“We are particularly proud of the agreement we signed today with the Carabinieri Force – said the CEO of Acea, Giuseppe Gola – which marks the start of a virtuous collaboration defined by a new sustainability culture shared by both parties. The SmartComp initiative will allow to process a significant amount of organic waste close to where it is produced, with a positive impact on the environment. Furthermore, the agreement is consistent with our recently approved 2020/2024 Business Plan with regard to developing projects and activities able to accelerate the creation of new plants to process and valorize waste, in a sustainable and environmentally beneficial manner. All in line with the goals set by the European Union in terms of recycling materials as part of the process to close the waste cycle.”