Grosseto, 11 November 2024 - Blue Eco Line is proud to announce the start of works for the installation of the River Cleaner system on the San Rocco canal, in Marina di Grosseto.
This project marks a turning point in the management of river waste and shows how technology and sustainability can come together to tackle one of the most urgent environmental problems: pollution from plastic and waste in waterways.
“Plastic pollution in seas and oceans is an urgent, global challenge that threatens both marine biodiversity and the balance of coastal ecosystems. Every year, more than 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the seas, a quantity with devastating consequences for marine wildlife, which can become trapped or ingest fragments of plastic, with knock-on effects that reach the entire food chain,” comment the mayor of Grosseto Antonfrancesco Vivarelli Colonna and the environment councillor Erika Vanelli.
A zero-emission, sustainable and innovative project. River Cleaner is a fully automated system that collects floating waste in rivers efficiently and sustainably. Powered by renewable energy, the plant consists of a floating barrier that channels waste towards a conveyor belt. The mechanism brings the collected material directly to a temporary storage point, where it is taken in charge for recycling or disposal by local services. The platform is designed to operate 24 hours a day, reducing human intervention to a minimum and ensuring zero environmental impact thanks to its zero-emission power supply. The goal is simple and ambitious: to intercept waste before it reaches the sea, safeguarding not only the river ecosystem but also the coasts and the seabed.
“The installation of River Cleaner is an improvement in managing the dispersal of plastic materials into the sea. By acting now, we contribute to recovering plastics that would otherwise end up in the sea and on beaches, with environmental damage and collection costs borne by the community,” said Guido Maria Rustichini, president of Ecolat.
Strategic collaborations and institutional support. The installation of River Cleaner in Grosseto is the result of close collaboration between our startup, the Municipality of Grosseto, the Consorzio di Bonifica 6 Toscana Sud, and major players such as Estra, Ecolat, Sei Toscana and the Tuscany Region. A shared project that combines technological innovation and a concrete commitment to the wellbeing of the environment.
“The River Cleaner model demonstrates the ability to adopt innovative technologies to solve complex environmental problems,” said the mayor of Grosseto, “and is a virtuous example of environmental management that the Municipality of Grosseto is proud to present at the Premio Comuni Virtuosi 2024, in the hope that it becomes a reference point for other Italian communities.”
“For us, supporting this project,” says Francesco Macrì, president of Estra, which backed the project financially, “was a choice in line with the constant commitment our group pursues with conviction. We want to offer concrete and continuous support to those initiatives that, like this startup, prove their value and need real backing to grow and establish themselves. Blue Eco Line's strong ecological component reflects our attention to the territory and our commitment to crucial themes such as protecting the environment and sustainability.”
Senator Simona Petrucci, who supported the project from the start, added: “There is nothing finer than seeing what was once only in the mind turned into reality. The creation of this plant embodies the true meaning of how collaboration between administrators, institutions and private parties can generate positive outcomes for the community. One of my last acts as environment councillor was signing the memorandum of understanding for building this tool. And I was proud of it, because it was a path begun years earlier that I believed in greatly and that we carried out with enthusiasm.”
A tangible impact for a cleaner future. River pollution is one of the main causes of plastic accumulation in the oceans. According to the data, around 80% of marine litter comes from land-based sources, carried by rivers. With the River Cleaner system, we aim to tackle this problem at its root, preventing river waste from reaching the sea. As Blue Eco Line CEO Lorenzo Lubrano stressed, “River Cleaner was born from the awareness that to fight marine pollution we must act upstream, on the waterways. This technology is our concrete answer to a global problem, with a model we hope can be replicated in many other locations.”
“The installation of River Cleaner is an improvement in managing the dispersal of plastic materials into the sea. By acting now, we contribute to recovering plastics that would otherwise end up in the sea and on beaches, with environmental damage and collection costs borne by the community,” said Rustichini.
Work in progress and next steps. The plant will be operational in the first weeks of 2025 and, beyond cleaning the San Rocco canal, aims to become a model for future interventions at regional and national scale. During the installation works, the Consorzio di Bonifica 6 Toscana Sud is building the infrastructure needed to ensure the plant's safety, such as anchoring systems, protective riprap and the connection to the power supply. “Afterwards,” said Fabio Zappalorti, general manager of Cb6, “we will also handle the maintenance and proper management of the plant. It is a project we strongly believed in from the start; it is certainly a best practice that sends an important message and can provide an important service to the whole Grosseto community and to tourists, who will be able to enjoy a cleaner sea.”
Ecolat ensures the management of the entire cycle of the collected waste: “After recovery, the materials are transported to the Grosseto plant, where our technical staff, with the support of mechanical and manual means, carefully separate them. These selected fractions are then sent to specific recycling or disposal channels, creating a virtuous and sustainable supply chain.”
A project that inspires. Our work with River Cleaner is not limited to design and installation. We aim to raise awareness in local communities and promote a more responsible approach to waste management. The success of this plant will show that it is possible to act effectively on river pollution, paving the way for a wider spread of similar technologies. The opening of the construction site marks a new chapter for Blue Eco Line, but it is only the beginning of the startup's commitment to a cleaner planet. We thank all the partners and institutions supporting us in this mission and invite everyone to follow the project's developments. For updates, keep following us on our social channels and on the official website. Together, we can make a difference.