The first integrated system in Europe for producing quality fuel from solid urban waste was launched on Monday, 14 April. The first practical application is underway at the Robilante cement plant.

The project to produce eco-sustainable and economically self-sufficient WDF-P (Waste Derived Fuel), has been successfully achieved thanks to the close cooperation between the Province of Cuneo, ACSR, a firm that collects the waste from 54 Cuneo municipalities (which was sent to the landfill before), and Pirelli & C. Ambiente, which operates in the field of energy and material recovery, based on technology developed by Pirelli. The Robilante cement plant, located 12 kilometers away from Cuneo, is the first plant to use this new alternative fuel in co-combustion with coal or petcoke. 
The dry fraction of solid urban refuse and similar waste is selected, shredded, dried and then mixed with high calorific components (including scrap tires, PFU and non-chlorinated plastics). These are the steps necessary for transforming waste into an alternative quality fuel for use in existing, non-dedicated industrial plants such as cement kilns and power plants.
It's only a short step from transformation of the WDF-P at the I.D.E.A. (Integration of Energy into the Environment) Granda di Roccavione production plant (a mixed public and private consortium) to use as a co-combustible in the main furnace of Robilante's kilns 2 and 3. There is no environmental impact either, since the WDF-P does not emit dust and/or odors. By ensuring the consistency and homogeneity of the product, low moisture and chlorine content, and high calorific value, WDF-P represents a more favorable solution than disposal in a landfill or waste-to-energy systems.
Five years of experimenting have led to this opportunity for recovering energy from waste, which reduces landfill disposal and the use of incinerators and solves the issue of waste disposal in an economically and more environmentally friendly way for the community, and also confirms the strategic commitment of our Group towards environmental protection and sustainable development.