Not in their backyard: Plans for Rome’s new incinerator face local backlash

ROME: Rome is facing a deadlock in handling the massive amount of household waste produced in the Italian capital.

Poor waste management has, for years, been a stain on the reputation of Italy’s biggest and most populous city.

The city thrives on tourism, with millions of people visiting every year for its remarkable sights like the Colosseum and St Peter’s Square.

But resistance from locals on the building of a new incinerator means there is no end in sight to the waste problem in the Eternal City.

NOT IN THEIR BACKYARD

To tackle the issue, Rome’s mayor Roberto Gualtieri has proposed building a rubbish incinerator in Santa Palomba, a neighbourhood in the far south of the city.

The city government has described the project as a waste-to-energy plant, and claimed that 90 per cent of the ash produced will be recovered in energy.

However, the proposal has been met with outcry from residents who do not want such a facility in their backyard.

A local community action group is fighting hard against it due to the negative impacts it may bring to them. 

“What the incinerator brings with it is destruction, in terms of public health and the environmental impact,” said Santa Palomba resident Alessandro Lepidini.

“On the one hand, it doesn’t end the waste cycle as they’re claiming, but instead a third of what it processes will be left over as hazardous waste, that will need to be treated of course, and above all it will have a devastating impact on people’s health.”

Santa Palomba will not be the first to have such a rubbish treatment facility for the people of Rome.

The Malagrotta landfill operated for over three decades as Rome’s main landfill site.

However, authorities at the European Union (EU) level ordered its closure about 10 years ago, as it did not meet safety standards for the treatment of waste.

Local authorities have been trying to find a long-term solution to the problem since then.

A LONGER TERM SOLUTION

For some short-term relief, the city’s waste has been sent to other regions and even other EU countries for processing, at a high cost to the taxpayer.

With temporary solutions now becoming increasingly inadequate, getting that new incinerator built is crucial.

Ms Sabrina Alfonsi, the city’s Councillor for the Environment, told CNA there is ongoing dialogue with the local community over the issue.

“It’s clear that having the city’s entire waste cycle, from the production of waste to refuse disposal going through our own facilities, will produce a real improvement for the city of Rome,” she said.

Italy has a solid record when it comes to recycling, with a higher rate than its European neighbours such as France and Spain.