Riciclo plastica rigida, Aliplast (Hera) inaugura impianto da 49 milioni
A Modena la plastica dei vecchi paraurti può tornare a essere un componente per automobili nuove. E la stessa degli imballaggi industriali può trasformarsi in materia prima per la cosmetica....
Modena, Italy will soon be home to a new 49 million euro industrial facility specializing in the recycling of rigid plastics, inaugurated by the Hera Group through its subsidiary Aliplast. The 7.7 million euro investment, funded partially by the Pnrr, aims to close a plastic recycling industry that had previously had to seek solutions abroad.
The opening ceremony, attended by the Italian Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, was also graced by representatives of major users of plastic, such as Stellantis and L'Oréal, who are exploring potential collaborations with Aliplast. This new facility will address the country's growing demand for recycled materials, with the European Union setting minimum recycled plastic quotas of 15% for new vehicles starting in 2032 and 25% by 2036, with at least one fifth of the recycled content coming from scrapped vehicles.
The R3gid facility, already in operation for several months, will process up to 30,000 tonnes of rigid plastics annually, sourced from urban collection and industrial waste, including pallets, boxes, tanks, bumpers, containers, and electronic components. After being separated by composition and color, shredded, washed, and visually inspected, the materials will be extruded into granules suitable for new products.
The result is a polymeric material with a purity of over 99% and performance comparable to virgin plastic. The Hera Group's CEO, Orazio Iacono, highlighted the structural gap in European recycling capabilities, where production capacity is stagnant or declining, while new regulations are expected to boost demand. R3gid is seen as a first-mover response to this challenge, offering cost savings through local imports.
The Hera Group's presence in Modena also benefits from the nearby thermal valorization plant for electricity and the depuration plant for water reuse, resulting in an estimated environmental savings of 30,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year compared to virgin plastic production.
Written by urgent.news from Il Sole 24 Ore's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
