is the engineering “father” of this ambitious metal recovery and refining project at the Spino d’Adda facility in the province of Cremona
but I went straight for it because I knew there was more to it than what was in my head,” he tells us
I was studying engineering at the Milan Polytechnic; my grandfather had a laboratory that refined waste from goldsmithing products
and I was fascinated by every step of the process
many goldmines and other noble metals that perhaps the world wasn’t aware of
I’m talking about the piles of electronic waste that mankind has been producing for decades now at a frightening rate: cell phones
and any other instrument that contains an electronic board
so I thought of a recovery system that would not devastate the environment
as is still the case instead in so many parts of the planet
and I launched myself into this process of building an industrial spin-off that later gave birth to Ecomet Refining.”
We are talking about the largest industrial plant in Italy
and the only one that currently treats two thousand tons of waste per year in a totally sustainable way with very little use of energy
without dispersion of dangerous or polluting substances into the atmosphere
One ton of these materials contains about 300 kg of metals that are recovered and another 700 kg used as a melting material for copper foundries or for bitumen companies to make asphalt: nothing is lost!
“By now we receive material from all over the world,” explains Mattia Gottardi
a partner in the initiative and Ecomet’s institutional relations manager
“This is precisely why a new plant 10 times bigger is being built in Treviglio in order to process 20 thousand tons per year
One of the strangest things that has been processed is a submarine battery
and one of the most delicate stages is precisely the sorting
the sorting of materials that is done by hand
The second step consists of shredding and preparation for melting during which the chemical composition is also checked
there is a unique technology in Italy regarding melting that allows materials of all kinds to be melted directly
respecting the environmental limits of the law and avoiding other steps that could cause dispersion of the materials to be recovered: in fact
the furnace operates at a temperature of 1500 degrees and therefore does not release those dioxins that usually develop in incinerators
“Another step is the analysis of the precious metals; then there is the refining and finally the actual smelting
and palladium in a pure form that is directly marketable
99.9 percent of these materials are recovered
Just think that from a ton of old cell phones - about 5,000 – some 250 to 300 grams of gold are gleaned
so quite a gain if we think of the market value
this electronic waste comprises between 6 and 8 percent of the world’s gold reserves.”
“We can say that the Spino d’Adda plant basically anticipated the Pope’s words in Laudato si' and the great message he wanted to convey to the world by appealing to the collective conscience,” Gottardi says
“but this document has given us even more impetus to continue in this direction
“The very concept of recovery that we apply in person helps to check that rampant throw-away culture denounced by Francis in which things and people are put on the same plane
It is not true that everything that is not needed or that’s no longer useful must be thrown away
There are metals that can release pollutants into the ground for years: think of the lithium that smartphone batteries are made of
“And then there is the issue of the exploitation of miners
in areas of the world that are poor but rich in gold deposits
for example; these people work in dramatic conditions
in close contact with chemicals that are harmful to their health
digging in the belly of the earth to bring to light what will then perhaps be turned into an earring or a bracelet sold in a boutique in the West for hundreds
responsibly and conscientiously, what has already come from the earth because sooner or later even these resources will run out and we will be - indeed we are already – fully indebted ecologically
but we can no longer turn our faces away and pretend that nothing is happening
There are places that are open dumps of technological waste: 85 percent of this waste is in Africa
which is already battered by countless plagues
There are city-sized landfills in Nigeria where technological waste is set on fire perhaps to retrieve copper wire to sell
with toxic clouds persisting for weeks and releasing substances that destroy the ecosystem of those areas for hundreds or thousands of years
there’s been a rapprochement with big companies that are flying the banner of sustainability
and our goal is to be able to bring Ecomet’s technology everywhere
Many companies have also realized the importance of showing their customers that they are fully engaged in waste recovery of this kind - it’s the so-called green turning point
which is obviously good for the environment but also attracts profits.”
taking into consideration the common good and not money
have prompted Ecomet’s top management to strike agreements with the Governorate of the Vatican City State as well
“we also approached the Holy See to present our idea of environmental sustainability and the reception was really good
We both thought of extending this project to schools
in order to raise awareness about the collection of these resources that would otherwise be wasted and then to recover them
setting in motion a virtuous economic circle
“We have also thought about setting up collection points specifically for technological materials
which we do not even know how to dispose of today among the differentiated waste bins
either inside the Leonine Walls or outside
“It was immediately clear to us: to process these materials and give back resources to do good by also spreading a different culture and awareness regarding environmental issues
is more present and alive in young people than in adults
precisely because the younger generations are more open to change
After a discussion with Cardinal Leonardo Sandri
Prefect of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches
we came to an agreement and we have already received a consignment of several tons from Vatican City: mostly
but not just discarded computers and electronic material that Ecomet will sort and recover
This is a pilot project that we hope will soon be extended to other areas
The capillarity of the Church’s network is also an advantage from the point of view of environmental education and information on practices that are still unfamiliar.”
and giving resources back to the poor are at the heart of Ecomet’s agreement with the Vatican which is already at the forefront of waste recycling
after the creation of its own dedicated ecological recycling station where organic waste is also collected
a virtuous example to be exported to other states
the Museums are visited every day by thousands of pilgrims who come from all over the world and who
the cleanliness and also precisely the innovation from the point of view of waste disposal
Around the streets of Rome or other Italian cities
one does not find containers for the disposal of technological materials that regularly end up in the bins for aluminum or plastic with no thought given to the resources they contain
The Papal State in this regard could set an example by also conveying an unfamiliar message – one that is valuable for the environment
“Whenever we talk about this ethically-flavored technology to leading companies or multinationals with stellar sales,” Ecomet’s representative concludes
“we see in the faces of executives a certain amazement and great interest
and we realize that we have done something important and right..
not everyone understood the scope of this project; often Tosoni heard people say he was crazy
as if he was seeking the philosopher’s stone.
he managed to realize an idea that can change the world and that is more urgent than ever to safeguard our Common Home.”
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Prostitutes on a main road into Milan will be fined €500 (£360) if they fail to swap their clothes for reflective jackets and trousers
The city is experiencing a boom in prostitution due to the 2015 Expo World Fair
with an estimated 15,000 extra sex workers having made a beeline for the event
On the road from Milan to Cremona the increase in the number of prostitutes is particularly noticeable and presents a road-safety problem
say the authorities in the outlying town of Spino d’Adda
According to its deputy mayor Luciano Sinigaglia: “The sex workers should be treated as employees who work on road construction and forced to wear clothes that make them visible.” He said this meant sensible reflective clothing
Sex workers caught a second time without the right clothing will be arrested
But the newspaper noted that in addition to concerns with road safety
authorities in Spino d’Adda took a strong line in discouraging prostitution
Four years ago the town introduced a law allowing clients of sex workers to be fined up to €500 (£350)
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