Rome mayor says plant will "pollute less than a busy street", amid protests from local residents.Rome has begun construction of a major new waste-to-energy incinerator, with mayor Roberto Gualtieri staging a groundbreaking ceremony at the Santa Palomba industrial site on Friday.The facility, which represents an investment of €1 billion, is designed to process 600,000 tonnes of non-recyclable, residual waste per year. Located near Pomezia along the Via Ardeatina on the southern outskirts of the city, the plant is set to receive its first waste deliveries in November 2029. "Ultra-safe" Gualtieri called it "a historic day", hailing the plant as "the most modern and advanced in Europe". He insisted it would be "ultra-safe", constantly monitored, and no more polluting than a congested road in Rome. Describing it as "strategic, fundamental, and long-awaited", the city said the plan would enable Rome to "to close its waste cycle in a stable, efficient, and sustainable manner". Alternative to landfills The project is a centrepiece of Rome's 2023 waste management plan, which aims to achieve a 70 per cent separate waste collection rate and eliminate reliance on landfill. Until now the Italian capital has been shipping residual rubbish to disposal sites elsewhere in Italy, and even abroad, at considerable expense. "Rome will no longer depend on landfills or facilities located elsewhere," Gualtieri said. Protests and legal challenges Over the last few years, a network of associations, neighbourhood committees and local administrators has formed to oppose the incincerator, and legal challenges have been mounted through the administrative courts. While the ground-breaking ceremony was taking place on Friday, dozens of protesters gathered, and were reportedly kept at bay by police. Critics have raised concerns about health impacts, harm to the surrounding agricultural landscape, and the risk that a large incineration facility will blunt the impetus to push recycling rates higher. The choice of a site on the border with Pomezia is also seen by some as penalising residents of the city's southern quadrant. The plant The project is being developed by RenewRome, a consortium comprising Acea Ambiente, Suez Italy, Kanadevia Inova, Vianini Lavori and RMB. It will generate a combined 65 MW of thermal and electrical energy - enough to power around 200,000 households - and will convert residual ash into materials for use in construction. Environmental controls are designed to exceed EU standards, with a continuous monitoring programme covering air quality, soil, water, vegetation and noise. The city says the facility will have a near-zero impact on the local water table, meeting its needs through rainwater harvesting and the reuse of treated wastewater. The site will include a Circular Resources Park open to residents, with research rooms, co-working spaces, an experimental greenhouse, public gardens, and a panoramic tower over 70 metres tall. Waste will be transported to Santa Palomba by rail, arriving on two overnight freight trains to minimise disruption. A separate €31 million road improvement plan has been drawn up for the surrounding area, covering upgrades to Via di Porta Medaglia, a stretch of Via Ardeatina, and the Pomezia–Santa Palomba axis. For more details about the incinerator, see official website.

Rome has begun construction of a major new , with mayor Roberto Gualtieri staging a groundbreaking ceremony at the Santa Palomba industrial site on Friday. The facility, which represents an investment of €1 billion, is designed to process 600,000 tonnes of non-recyclable, residual waste per year. Located near Pomezia along the Via Ardeatina on the southern outskirts of the city, the plant is set to receive its first waste deliveries in November 2029. Gualtieri called it "a historic day", hailing the plant as "the most modern and advanced in Europe". He insisted it would be "ultra-safe", constantly monitored, and no more polluting than a congested road in Rome. Describing it as "strategic, fundamental, and long-awaited",  the plan would enable Rome to "to close its waste cycle in a stable, efficient, and sustainable manner". The project is a centrepiece of Rome's 2023 waste management plan, which aims to achieve a 70 per cent separate waste collection rate and eliminate reliance on landfill. Until now the Italian capital has been shipping residual rubbish to disposal sites elsewhere in Italy, and even abroad, at considerable expense. "Rome will no longer depend on landfills or facilities located elsewhere," Gualtieri said. Over the last few years, a network of associations, neighbourhood committees and local administrators has formed to oppose the incincerator, and legal challenges have been mounted through the administrative courts. While the ground-breaking ceremony was taking place on Friday, dozens of protesters gathered, and were reportedly kept at bay by police. Critics have raised concerns about health impacts, harm to the surrounding agricultural landscape, and the risk that a large incineration facility will blunt the impetus to push recycling rates higher. The choice of a site on the border with Pomezia is also seen by some as penalising residents of the city's southern quadrant. The project is being developed by RenewRome, a consortium comprising Acea Ambiente, Suez Italy, Kanadevia Inova, Vianini Lavori and RMB. It will generate a combined 65 MW of thermal and electrical energy - enough to power around 200,000 households - and will convert residual ash into materials for use in construction. Environmental controls are designed to exceed EU standards, with a continuous monitoring programme covering air quality, soil, water, vegetation and noise. The city says the facility will have a near-zero impact on the local water table, meeting its needs through rainwater harvesting and the reuse of treated wastewater. The site will include a Circular Resources Park open to residents, with research rooms, co-working spaces, an experimental greenhouse, public gardens, and a panoramic tower over 70 metres tall. Waste will be transported to Santa Palomba by rail, arriving on two overnight freight trains to minimise disruption. A separate €31 million road improvement plan has been drawn up for the surrounding area, covering upgrades to Via di Porta Medaglia, a stretch of Via Ardeatina, and the Pomezia–Santa Palomba axis.