CROTONE The extraordinary commissioner for the reclamation of Crotone, Emilio Errigoannounces that it intends to look outside Calabria for disposal plants to transfer Crotone poisons. The search operation will be carried out with the help of the Carabinieri and other police forces. The search for suitable plants will be extended to Italy and the rest of Europe. In essence, Errigo applies, with this purpose, the decisions taken with the decision-making Services Conference of 24 October 2019 which, in fact, envisaged disposing of the waste present in the industrial area of Crotone outside Calabria. Errigo announces his decision with a note released today, which reads: «Exercising the powers of necessity and urgency, I have requested the intervention of the Specialized Components of the Carabinieri». This request for intervention by the Armed Forces and the Carabinieri Police «is aimed at identifying, outside the territory of the Calabria Regionof suitable treatment plants and landfills authorized to treat the waste present in the SIN area”.
Research also extended abroad
On the national territory, therefore, we will search for plants “suitable for the delivery of hazardous waste and, limited to special hazardous waste containing Tenorm and asbestos”. The research will also be extended abroad, making use of national information and security bodies and foreign collateral bodies». The objective set by Errigo is to «eliminate the critical issues that can no longer be postponed that have arisen from the historic presence of the enormous quantity of waste (estimated at over one million tons) currently lying in private areas, now owned by Eni Rewind SpA and formerly owned by Edison SpA located near the maritime and river coastal strip, adjacent to the mouth of the Esaro river, in the immediate vicinity of the sea shore of the city of Crotone, falling within the contaminated Site of National Interest of Crotone – Cassano and Cerchiara of Calabria”. This waste present in the seafront landfill does not require reclamation activities, but simply to be moved from the current site (seafront landfill) to facilities that have specific Cer codes to accommodate them. The problem is this. According to what Eni claims, there is currently no availability in any plant in Italy to accommodate the quantity of poisons currently crammed into the seafront landfill in Crotone.
Errigo’s “intentions”.
In truth, this availability does not even exist in the Columbra plant, where Eni would like to transport the poisons from the seafront landfill. If there were ever space in Columbra it would be necessary to modify the Cer to dispose of the Tenorm with asbestos matrix. An operation that could, however, also be carried out in other Italian and European plants. If the commissioner’s idea is really to identify plants where it is possible to deliver Crotone poisons, changing the Cer, it means that he is in line with those who are fighting not to leave the poisons in Crotone; otherwise his activity suggests an intervention aimed at acknowledging that there are no facilities anywhere and that, therefore, the poisons must be delivered to Columbra. Probably the acknowledgment could serve to block any activity implemented in Crotone and Calabria to enforce the decisions taken on 24 October 2019. Just the day before yesterday, eight councillors, regional representatives of three council groups (Pd, Ms5 and Misto), asked for a meeting of the Council to be convened with the aim of modifying the Regional Waste Plan in the part which favors waste disposal Crotone of the poisons present in landfills facing the sea.
«It is essential to resolve a decades-long stalemate»
In his note, Errigo writes: «This intervention aims to move and transfer to treatment plants and suitable authorized landfills, the enormous quantity of waste of which, approximately 49% are classified as “non-hazardous specials”, 35%, as “dangerous contaminated by heavy metals” and 16 %, as “dangerous specials with and in the absence of Tenorm and Asbestos”; in fact, part of this waste is considered highly dangerous because it is related to the exposome to which the citizens and residents of Crotone are exposed. Resolving and overcoming this decades-long stalemate – adds the commissioner – is fundamental for the defence, protection, public health and safety of the environment, biodiversity and ecosystems for the benefit of future generations. This request – concludes Errigo – follows and completes the information path desired by the Extraordinary Commissioner who already in recent months has asked ISPRA to formulate and send a questionnaire to the national managers of authorized plants and landfills to find out and confirm the possible fates of SIN waste”. ([email protected])
