Etna Ash: from waste to resource, Sicily launches rules and incentives for reuse

The Sicilian Region aims to transform the volcanic ashes of Etna from waste to resource, defining clear rules for their reuse and launching tools to support a dedicated supply chain.

«We want to promote the activities of the regional department and inform municipalities and companies about the possibility of turning a problem into an opportunity. We have prepared the rules, with a clear standard, for the reuse of volcanic ash that becomes a resource from waste. We will also work to implement economic measures to support interested companies, to encourage the creation of a true supply chain. To close the cycle aimed at reuse, we are considering a registry of specialized companies, to be built with the municipalities, for which the collection and disposal of this natural material have so far only been a cost, often not insignificant,” said the Energy and Public Utility Services assessor, Francesco Colianni, speaking at the technical-scientific conference «Sustainable reuse of the volcanic ashes of Etna – CeVEtna», hosted at the Palazzo della Regione di Catania.

The initiative is promoted by the Regional Department of Water and Waste (Dar) and the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture (Dicar) of the University of Catania, and has been curated by Bernardo Agrò, head of the European funds programming area and scientific referent of the Dar.

«By 2035, we will no longer be able to send to landfills more than a threshold of 10% of waste – Colianni added – and the Schifani government is committed to achieving this goal. We are working, together with the Special Office established by the president of the Region, to implement a measure of 147 million from the FESR, dedicated to reuse and recycling platforms. Thanks to the implementing decree of February 22, 2024, this material can also be reused in agriculture and in the construction sector, lightening costs and disposal procedures.»

Satisfaction also from the metropolitan mayor of Catania, Enrico Trantino: «this decree finally goes in the direction we hoped for, identifying what the destinations of the ashes could be and, therefore, allowing for a significant savings on disposal costs that the municipalities have had to bear».