How many of you have wondered what that great hassle of separate collection is actually for? Here, for example, in Trento, one of the greenest cities in Italy, correctly separating the waste to be thrown in the appropriate waste bin serves no less than to feed all the buses circulating in the city, of which there are 67. An extraordinary result, which places the Trentino capital at the forefront at European level and which was possible thanks to an investment of around 2,5 million euros, the result of the synergy between two local realities: inewa, ESCo and consultancy company based in Bolzano specializing in the sustainability sector, e Bioenergy Trentino Srl. The first oversaw the design, authorization and construction supervision of the upgrading plant for BioEnergia Trentino, which thus transforms about 60.000 tons of organic waste in biomethane.
Starting from last July 1, therefore, all the bus lines in Trento travel with almost zero emissions, fueled in fact by the commitment and environmental culture of the citizens themselves: the waste transformed into biomethane arrives exclusively from Trentino, and makes available enough green fuel to cover almost 60% of journeys. BioEnergia Trentino, born in 2012 and which covered 100% of the investment value, treats 75% of the annual organic production in the local area. The virtuous project, an example of energy efficiency and above all of circular economy, got underway after a period of experimentation: when fully operational, this revolution in local public transport will allow savings of 3 million kg of CO2, equal to the amount emitted by a petrol car traveling 15 million km.
“An intervention, the result of a customized design activity and a lot of technological innovation, which represents a concrete gesture towards the energy transition of the Italian system. The growing awareness and sensitivity towards the issues of environmental sustainability is certainly an incentive to carry out projects that go in this direction”, commented Nikolaus Widmann, CEO of inewa. “The assignment by BioEnergia Trentino Srl for the realization of theSan Michele all'Adige plant, the first regional plant for the production of advanced biofuel powered by organic waste, has allowed us to consolidate our experience in the sector and to lay the foundations for creating a larger project in synergy with local companies, thus promoting sustainability and circular economy paths without stealing land intended for cultivation".