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Following the success of the experimental project for collecting floating waste on the Tiber River, the Lazio Region continues its commitment to environmental protection and the removal of waste from rivers before it reaches the sea, through the new floating anti-waste barrier installed on the Aniene River (the main tributary of the Tiber) and built by Petroltecnica (Environmental Emergency Response). The barrier was inaugurated on Monday, June 22, in the presence of President Nicola Zingaretti and Regional Councillor for Waste Massimiliano Valeriani, with the participation of Cristiana Avenali (Head of the Small Municipalities and River Contracts Office of the Lazio Region), along with all project and operational partners including Petroltecnica, represented by its Commercial Management and Environmental Emergency Response team.

Thanks to a total investment of over €215,000, the project is becoming more structured: two barriers installed respectively on the Tiber and the Aniene.
The project, awarded to Petroltecnica in a joint venture with Testani through a public tender issued by the Lazio Region, involves the installation of barriers anchored to the riverbank by poles, capable of stopping plastics and other floating waste and channeling them into a storage area near the riverbank. The waste accumulated between the barrier and the bank is collected using ground vehicles and transported to a temporary storage area located in the floodplain, where it is stored in suitable containers and subsequently taken to a sorting facility.

Plastics account for over 80% of the waste found at sea, much of which originates from rivers. This initiative represents a concrete action aimed at improving water quality and enhancing the hydraulic safety of the Aniene, the Tiber, and ultimately the sea. The collected waste will then be sorted in collaboration with COREPLA (the National Consortium for the Collection, Recycling and Recovery of Plastic Packaging).

So far, the pilot project, launched on the Tiber in October 2019, has enabled the collection of 2,300 kg of floating waste, of which 34% consists of plastic packaging, including approximately 14,460 bottles. The RomaNatura Regional Park Authority, a project partner together with COREPLA, will carry out awareness campaigns and engage schools, citizens, and associations in various environmental activities.