Measure to innovate. Hera Luce's tool is ahead of its time Waste can spring back to a new life almost indefinitely. This principle is the foundation of the circular economy. It is based on the five Rs – reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, regenerate – and aims to minimize waste and the use of resources. And this is also the foundation of our front line fight to manage municipal waste, which today, more than ever before, has become a precious resource, thanks to a circular approach. MG_0694.jpg Our efforts have gone well beyond waste management. Since 2017, we have been trying to apply the same circularity to public lighting systems. But to innovate, you have to measure. That's why Hera Luce developed a measurement system to analyse materials used in public lighting throughout their entire life cycle – from origin to final destination – both in terms of material flows and in economic terms (costs/revenues). In 2017, this approach to measuring circularity had already been brought into line with the guidelines of the Italian Ministry of the Environment and it is now consistent with Circulytics, the new digital tool which accurately measures circularity, developed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2019, and which we were involved in as testers. Our evaluation system also anticipated the requirements of the Italian Ministry of the Environment on the minimum environmental criteria (MEC) for public lighting services. In fact, since 2016, our calls for tenders require MEC compliance and, since 2018, also require the material balance. Our strong focus on circularity and environmental sustainability, the awareness raising process launched with our suppliers, and being forerunners of such a measuring tool have been rewarding choices. Hera Luce has thus been awarded the contracts for the municipalities of Ferrara, Lugo, Tavullia, and Cervia, and has qualified as a partner to the Municipal Administrations as able to promote the issues of sustainable, intelligent and solidarity-based development, favouring the achievement of the objectives of the UN's 2030 Agenda. In the coming years, we will extend the use of the Hera Luce circularity evaluation tool to water connection sites. Hera Luce's efforts to improve the efficiency of public lighting contribute to achieving target 7.3 of the UN's 2030 Agenda. Hera Luce no http://www.heraluce.it/

Waste-to-energy plants: a resource for the circular economy A waste-to-energy plant, in fact, is a plant in which the heat from the combustion of waste is recovered to generate steam, which is then used to produce electricity or for district heating. link to the district heating page termovalorizzatori.jpg Our nine waste-to-energy plants cover a catchment area of over 3 million inhabitants in the provinces of Ferrara, Modena, Bologna, Forlì-Cesena, Rimini, Isernia, Padua, and Trieste and "enhance" the heat produced for the benefit of the local area. How? By generating both electricity, fed into the Italian distribution network, and heat, sent to homes or users in the surrounding area, through a special distribution network. HOW DOES A WASTE-TO-ENERGY PLANT WORK? Watch the video for a quick and simple explanation of the basic operation of a waste-to-energy plant. ARE WASTE-TO-ENERGY PLANTS DANGEROUS? No. These plants are safe, compliant with the regulations, and contribute less than 1% of total emission sources for dioxins, PM10, NOx, and other major air pollutants (ISPRA data). The only waste consists of ash (about 20% by weight of the treated waste) and particulate (about 3% by weight of the treated waste). Ash is generally used for recovery and production of secondary raw materials for the cement industry, while the particulate is stabilised to reduce any potential pollutants and make it suitable for disposal in an authorised plant. Do you want to know more about our waste-to-energy plant emissions? Visit the section on our website. The waste-to-energy plants are subject to constant monitoring and checks conducted by both Herambiente itself and competent agencies. Checks are carried out with the utmost transparency and anyone can verify the results: the main emission parameters are published and updated every half hour on the website www.herambiente.it. Transparency, in fact, has always been a value for Herambiente, since it manages waste and material and energy recovery activities without compromising the quality of the surrounding environment, with the utmost respect for the territory and adopting solutions with the lowest environmental impact. To dispose of the non-recoverable part of the waste and to make good use of the energy obtained to produce electricity and heat. This is the task of a waste-to-energy plant. no

SCART®: the beautiful and useful aspect of waste To transform waste into art and everyday objects to raise awareness and positively influence the mentality of recovery and reuse. scart.jpg This has been the goal of the SCART® project for over 20 years. It is an ecological initiative based on the desire to breathe life back into materials that become waste every day. The result is, sofas, armchairs, tables, chairs, lamps, drawers, games, musical instruments, clothing, and installations, but also scenery for shows and costumes. There are many initiatives at the Italian and international levels under the SCART® brand. From the prestigious conventions with the Academies of Fine Arts of Florence, Bologna and Ravenna which, every year, involve numerous students in seminars and workshops at the Hera Group's facilities in Santa Croce sull'Arno and Pisa, to the creation of costumes and stage components (for example, for Andrea Bocelli's 2012 concert at the Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico). Also, on the occasion of the 2019 edition of the Barcolana, the historic international sailing regatta held every year in the Gulf of Trieste, the symbolic "Alice" was made from waste: a giant 10 metre long sardine was set up in Piazza dell'Unità, using about 5 thousand bottles and plastic bottles. SCART® is an invitation to reflect on new intelligent, creative, and above all sustainable lifestyles and contributes to achieving targets 12.2, 12.4, 12.5, and 12.8 of the UN’s 2030 Agenda.

PSBO: The gentle giant that protects the sea of Rimini Keeping the sea clean and ensuring it is safe for swimming is a complex task, but not an impossible one. This is demonstrated by the Rimini Optimised Seawater Protection Plan (PSBO), the largest water sanitation project currently underway in Italy, which we have developed in collaboration with the town’s municipality, with Romagna Acque and Amir. A construction site — or rather, 14 — that is quite literally transforming the face of a town that has been the backdrop to the holidays of millions of Italian and international tourists for over 60 years. With an investment of €270 million, the project will ensure the complete bathing safety of the Rimini coastline, eliminating wastewater from all 11 sea discharges. Restoring clean, healthy and crystal-clear sea to Rimini and the surrounding area is a vital step in enhancing and creating new opportunities for the whole community. Because the sea is not just a key driver of the economy — it is the heart of our identity. psbo.jpg Piazzale Kennedy, where it all began It was beneath Piazzale Kennedy that the great works to build the gentle giant that protects the sea started. In case of a storm, the wastewater treatment plant is unable to handle such a large volume of both clear and dark waters. To prevent damage to the plant and avoid flooding, these waters are discharged into the sea without treatment. This results in a bathing ban, with an impact on the environment, health and the local economy. The PSBO prevents this thanks to a system of tanks as large as 20 Olympic swimming pools, located 40 metres below the surface. The first tank, with a capacity of 14,000 cubic metres, collects the initial rainfall, while the second, with a capacity of 25,000 cubic metres, is dedicated to regulating the flow of clean water into the sea. Thanks to a forced ventilation system, which directs the air drawn from the tanks to a treatment system using activated carbon technology, the problem of foul odours can also be permanently solved. Concealing this complex facility with its modern architecture, seamlessly integrated into the urban landscape, is the Piazzale Kennedy viewpoint, which has been open to the public since 2019. The Santa Giustina treatment plant, the heart of the PSBO Once the water has been collected in the tanks, a true journey begins beneath Piazzale Kennedy, perhaps the most important of all the activities connected to the PSBO. The tank system is linked to a pumping station with a discharge capacity of 18,000 litres per second: the Santa Giustina treatment plant. This is the heart of Rimini’s gentle giant, which transforms the water, making it, as a famous song says, “clear and blue”. Enhanced with a series of upgrades that have doubled its capacity, the plant can now treat all wastewater, both domestic and industrial, from the Rimini area and the Republic of San Marino, serving 560,000 residents during the summer season. After separating the water from sand and oils and eliminating the sewage sludge using denitrifying bacteria (organisms that feed on the substances contained in the sludge), the treatment plant makes the wastewater clear and clean through microfiltrating membranes, a cutting-edge technology that captures microscopic particles such as viruses and bacteria. The PSBO's most important works Let’s revisit the history of this ambitious project. The doubling of the Santa Giustina treatment plant, which began in 2013 and was completed in 2015, marked the true kick-off of the PSBO. Its operation, which is the heart of the entire system, was closely linked to the conversion work at the Marecchiese treatment plant, which serves to regulate the flows directed to Santa Giustina. 2014 marked the beginning of another important milestone: the start of the remodelling of the sewerage system in Rimini, which initially involved the redevelopment of Rimini Isola, and later the separation of the sewerage systems of Rimini Nord. The latter, which is scheduled to be completed in 2026, is a crucial step in the entire project, directly involving residents in the area, who are asked to connect their discharge properly to the new sewerage pipes for wastewater. At the same time, the North Dorsal project was completed in 2015, connecting the Santa Giustina treatment plant with the Bellaria plant. In 2018, the excavation work (microtunneling) for the South Dorsal was also completed: thanks to a boring machine, it was possible to lay pipes beneath natural elevations or major roads in urban areas without the need for large-scale excavation. Other works, such as the Ausa sewer collector, the Mavone overflow channel and the sewer lift in via Santa Chiara, have significantly reduced the risk of flooding in many areas of the town where this problem is recurring. Additionally, with the project to cover the Ausa Canal, which involves its artificial capping, we have optimised the water flow in the final stretch from the seafront to the sea in case of overflow discharge, creating an attractive pathway between the seafront and Piazzale Kennedy that enhances the nearby beaches. Two new viewpoints as the PSBO moves south Starting from 2025, the PSBO in Rimini will enter a new phase with the start of key works and projects. Work will begin to build two retention tanks for rainwater and initial rainfall, which are vital for managing stormwater and preventing flooding. These tanks will be located at Colonnella 2 (Piazzale Arturo Toscanini) and at the Rodella pit in Rivazzurra (Piazzale Artemisia Gentileschi). But the developments don’t end there. Above the tanks, in a fully redeveloped area, two beautiful viewpoints will be built as part of the Parco del Mare. These will offer stunning views of the sea and will integrate seamlessly into the urban environment, following the design lines of the Parco del Mare project. The results we have achieved To date, construction works are 90% complete and they have already freed 8,000 metres of coastline from bathing restrictions, a figure that will rise to 12,000 metres upon completion. Through sifting and storage treatments, over 20,000 cubic metres of sand have also been recovered for beach replenishment. This operation, which could be described as a true “nourishment” of the beaches through the addition of new sand, helps counteract coastal erosion, following the principles of the circular economy. These achievements, along with all the other planned interventions, have led the PSBO to be cited in the United Nations report “SDG Industry Matrix: Energy, Natural Resources and Chemicals” (2017) as a best practice related to the sustainable development goals of the 2030 UN Agenda. Heratech no

Biodiesel has been developed also from used food oil. green diesel.jpg 20181124_Il_Gazzettino_VE_Mestre_Olio_esausto_da_tutta_Emilia_per_alimentare_la_bio_raffineria.1543335927.pdf 20181124_QE_Accordo_Eni_Hera_per_biocarburante_dagli_oli_esausti.1543335423.pdf 20190830_CorriereRomagnaForl_Cesena_Olio_alimentare_usato_Lotta_dura_contro_una_bomba_per_l_ambiente.1567419253.pdf 20191011_CorRomagna_IM_Olio_alimentare.1570790589.pdf This is possible today thanks to the strategic partnership we have set up with Eni, which is one of the many initiatives launched in our transition to a circular economy. How is biodiesel made? We recover exhausted vegetable oils for domestic use, such as frying oils, from around 800 roadside collection bins and around 130 ecological stations. We send these oils to the Eni bio-refinery in Porto Marghera, Venice. Here they are processed to make a biodiesel containing 15% renewable component. This biofuel feeds part of our company's vehicles for the collection of municipal waste in the area served. How does the oil collection service work for citizens? The oil can be delivered not only to drop-off points, but also to eco-self containers and roadside collection stations. The latter are of a new type. Compared to the previous ones, in fact, they hold 240 litres and can collect the oil to be recovered through a small hatch. Keep in mind that the oil should not be poured directly into the stations, but rather put inside plastic bottles or bottles closed with their caps. To find the collection point nearest you, you can use our app “Il Rifiutologo” that can be downloaded for free. null null null null no null null null null

Ferrara, the city of "green" heat ferrara citta verde.jpg A treasure is hiding under the soil of Ferrara. Not a chest full of gold coins nor a vault containing hidden works of art. It is a gift that nature gave this city. About two thousand metres under the Casaglia hamlet, there is a geothermal deposit from which water is drawn at around 100 °C. It is one of the world' s largest geothermal sources and a completely clean and renewable source of energy. This natural treasure makes Ferrara's district heating one of the most advanced geothermal plants in Europe. This reservoir, in fact, supplies 43% of the thermal energy to a 160 km long network that serves about 25 thousand housing units. Thanks to geothermal energy, combined with the recovery of the heat generated by the Via Diana waste-to-energy plant, 87% of the heat we distribute in Ferrara is "green". This result is confirmed by the recent Carbon Footprint certification validated by SGS, according to which Hera district heating helps the city of Ferrara to save 22 thousand tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. The Hera Group, partnered with Enel Green Power in a specially created temporary grouping of companies, has been managing this treasure trove of clean energy since the end of 2019. We began this process in 2017, when we obtained the concession to exploit the geothermal reservoir in the Ferrara subsoil, and we recently completed it by acquiring the Casaglia geothermal power plant. Thanks to this operation, we expect to increase the Ferrara district heating system's use of geothermal energy by a further 23% by 2023, compared to the 2016-2019 average. In recent years, our strategy has had a single objective: to boost district heating in the city and create an advantage in both the residential and production markets. For example, under an agreement with the Municipality of Ferrara, customers who convert their systems, installing a district heating controller, already receive an 80% discount on the installation. District heatign no

Wastewater "gets beautiful" with ultrasound treatment Wastewater is all the water that, after having been used in domestic, agricultural, and industrial activities, must be treated before being returned to the environment. This water contains a solid part – sludge – which is removed during treatment. But, in addition to giving a new life to wastewater, can we also make the sludge life cycle circular, by reducing the amount to be disposed of? Back in 2017, we started research to answer these questions, and, once again, we decided to invest in new technologies to lighten the impact on the environment and be more virtuous. In November 2019, our efforts became a reality, thanks to the ultrasound sludge hydrolysis system, installed at the Forlì treatment plant. In this system, part of the sludge from the wastewater treatment process is subjected to sound waves. The waves, in contact with the liquid matrix to be treated, biodegrade more volatile solids, increasing biogas production, and reducing the final dry matter in the sludge. All this makes it possible to significantly reduce the volume of sludge to be disposed of and opens up new scenarios for the use of the biogas obtained thanks to the ultrasound system. During 2020 the initial results will be reported and we look forward to sharing the successes of this new adventure with you. 110_150_depurazione.1597408821.jpg no

Bus fuel from trash: Hera's pilot project with "START" _PG_9554.1555590488.jpg To obtain clean energy to power Ravenna's buses by decomposing waste in landfills. We are not talking about the future, but about what has already come true, thanks to an innovative waste treatment plant in Ravenna. It adds another important element in the effort to reduce environmental impact and optimise waste management. The project is funded by the Emilia-Romagna Regional Administration and the European Commission, and is designed to highlight the advantages of using green natural gas. Which ones? It can contribute to replacing fossil energy sources with renewable energy sources; it can be used in the transport sector by contributing to achieving the 10% share of biofuels; it can provide logistics savings thanks to the extensive Italian natural gas network; and can be integrated with other renewable energy sources. The biomethane is collected from networks inside the landfill, and from there it is channelled into a container where it is "purified" by removing the carbon dioxide and other gases in it. From there, it reaches a tank and is used for refuelling. For now, the biomethane produced by the plant will power the buses of "Start Romagna" (Romagna's public transport company), and the pilot project will last about two years. But this is just the beginning. For the Hera Group, this is the second biomethane production facility, after the one in Sant'Agata Bolognese, which produces green energy by treating mowing, pruning and organic waste from separate waste collection. Landfill in Ravenna no http://ha.gruppohera.it/plants/composting/biometano_project/082.html