by Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi

Pope Francis’ pontificate has been blessed by sustainability from the very start! When the 266th Bishop of Rome made his first appearance as Pontiff on the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica, 5 solar panel compactors were present in the Vatican area, dealing with the large amount of waste produced by the pilgrims in the days of the Conclave.

On the evening of March 13th, as the papal conclave was proceeding with its fifth ballot, the visitors filled Piazza San Pietro waiting for the proclamation of Benedict XVI’s successor, Jorge Mario Bergoglio. As the Habemus Papam was delivered, by Cardinal protodeacon Jean-Louis Tauran, the environmental associations, Ama (the largest Italian operator for the management of environmental services) and Ecologia Soluzione Ambiente (“Ecology Is The Solution For The Environment”) tackled the great amounts of rubbish left by the visitors. These two organisations, that focus on innovation and sustainability, continued their successful partnership, facing a great challenge. Rome, has always suffered for the waste crisis, hence the K-Solar garbage bins have turned out to be providential. The litter containers were placed in the hot spots of town, near Castel Sant’Angelo, in via delle Fornaci, in Largo Cardinal Micara and in piazza Risorgimento.

The green wheelies can collect up to 10 square meters of non recyclable material, that are packed and expelled. The entire process occurs through solar energy and through the incredibly sophisticated technology that allows the recognition of the user, equipped with a smart card. The refuse bins have sensors that calculate the weight and volume of the waste, once the limit of capacity is reached, a device automatically calls Ama for the pick-up.

Enrico Benedetti, the President of Ecologia Soluzione Ambiente, has explained the characteristics of one of these techno-trash containers: “These devices are in line with the ruling of the latest European Directive 98/2008/CE, concerning the way waste is managed and recycled. One of these refuse bins eliminates approximately 20 traditional wheelies that usually contain 3.400 litres. Having less wheelies on the streets means diminishing pollution and increasing the optimisation of waste reception facilities. The towns that adopt the the K-Solar trash compactors benefit on an ecological, financial and social level. There’s an 80% reduction of the emissions of CO, CO2, Pm and Pm10, and they save 20% in comparison to the of traditional devices found on the streets or door to door.”