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For the seventh consecutive year, Acea sponsors and takes part in Maker Faire Rome–The European Edition, the biggest showcase of innovation and new technology in Europe, which this year, due to the heath emergency, will be held entirely online. During the four-day event, Acea will present industry 4.0’s most innovative solutions for the industrial sectors in general, and the water and environment sectors in particular, to the thousands of virtual visitors and the large community of makers and startuppers participating remotely from all over Italy.
In the water sector, as Italy’s largest provider, the Group presents Waidy, the app for the smart use of drinking water fountains with an eye to sustainability. In fact, Waidy encourages the use of refillable containers, contributes to reducing single-use plastic, and promotes a responsible use of water. The app allows users to locate their nearest drinking water fountain among the 6,000 available across the territory served by Acea Group companies, and also provides information on their history. Additionally, thanks to a smart water grid system, Waidy can be used to report broken or damaged fountains and request information on the quantity and quality of the water provided (via a direct link to the MyAcea portal). Waidy can also track the daily intake of water and has a social side to it. By registering on Waidy, users become part of a large water community, creating a new interactive communication channel between app users and Acea. Waidy can be downloaded from all app stores (Apple and Android), or scanning the QR codes found on water houses and nasoni fountains, which redirect users to the download.

In the environment and circular economy sector, the Group presents the new Acea SmartComp project, created by Acea in collaboration with Enea and Tuscia University, which aims to diffuse a zero-kilometer system to manage organic waste produced by major users such as canteens, hospitals, shopping centers, airports, and stations. With SmartComp it is possible to transform organic waste into compost directly in the place where the waste is produced, by way of an aerobic process that produces ready-to-use quality fertilizers in approximately 90 days. The project allows to reduce the amount of waste produced and the costs of waste management for the nation, the production chains, and individual users, and has a positive impact on the environment, as it reduces the emission of greenhouse gases by eliminating the need for collecting and transporting waste across the territory.
“The yearly appointment with Maker Faire Rome, The European Edition – said the Chairperson for Acea, Michaela Castelli – is an opportunity to reiterate the commitment and attention that the company dedicates to innovation and new technologies. During this edition, in which environment and sustainability will be topics of discussion, Acea presents SmartComp, a zero-kilometer waste management project, and Waidy, the app designed to raise awareness about saving water and reducing the use of plastic among younger generations. Two projects designed to combine innovation and sustainability, circular economy and local resilience. As for SmartComp, to date, taking into account the period of inactivity due to the health emergency, plants have produced 500 kg of compost, cutting CO₂ emissions by 0.3 tons. Acea plans to install 150 SmartComp plants by 2024, creating a diffused system with a 15,000-ton annual capacity – the equivalent of a plant managing organic waste produced by a town with 150,000 residents. The benefits can be quantified as 2,169 tons less of CO₂ emissions and approximately 3,000 less trucks on the roads. Equivalent to approximately 3.6 million less vehicle kilometers traveled. As for Waidy, QR codes to download the app have been installed on more than 700 nasoni fountains across the Capital. Acea aims to install them on all 3,000 of Rome’s nasoni fountains by the end of March 2021. To date, 300 nasoni fountains have been repaired thanks to Waidy.

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