The pilot plant of the River Cleaner system will be positioned on the San Rocco Canal, in the province of Grosseto.
This is the decision announced during the press conference of Monday 23 January 2023, attended by Councillor Simona Petrucci, the General Manager of the Consorzio di Bonifica 6 Toscana Sud Fabio Zappalorti, Antonino Azzarello commercial director of ESTRA S.p.A, the president of Ecolat Guido Rustichini, the technical director of Sei Toscana Giuseppe Tabani, Angelo Gentili of the national secretariat of Legambiente and the Blue Eco Line team.
The project was driven by the environment councillor Petrucci, in response to the needs of the area: “It is essential,” explain mayor Antonfrancesco Vivarelli Colonna and the environment councillor, “to offer a concrete and effective solution to tackle marine plastic pollution so that waste, once in the water, does not disperse or turn into microplastics. It was necessary to act on prevention as soon as possible, and this is what we have done, involving several parties.” The machine, automated and the subject of the memorandum of understanding, is called River Cleaner by Blue Eco Line and helps counter the dispersal of waste into the sea, offering safety guarantees. “It also allows,” continue Vivarelli Colonna and Petrucci, “the integration of waste management by directing it into the regular disposal process.”
“Supporting this project was, for us, an action consistent with what our group has always pursued with conviction,” say Antonio Azzarello and Guido Rustichini. “Our wish is to give concrete continuity to all those projects we reward as a winning startup and that deserve real support for their full realisation. Blue Eco Line's green component shows our closeness to the territory and to fundamental themes such as respect for nature and environmental sustainability.” “I would like to thank,” said Eng. Lorenzo Lubrano of Blue Eco Line, who developed the project, “all the partners in this adventure (the Municipality, the Region, Estra, Ecolat, the Consorzio di Bonifica, Sei Toscana) for the willingness they have shown. Dialogue with administrations often proves difficult, but not in this case, as we managed to bring the plant from paper to reality.” The first step has been taken, with the drafting of the memorandum of understanding. Now all the details of the agreement will be defined and soon the Grosseto area will be able to count on a new, technological and efficient service, protecting the San Rocco canal, the sea and the coastal structures.