About 8,000 sq. m. of asphalt have been made with the addition of 10 tonnes of rubber recycled from End-of-Life Tyres. An innovative road surface that allows to reduce the noise caused by the passing vehicles and to have a road that lasts for up to three times longer than conventional ones.   

Over 60km/lane of roads have already been surfaced with asphalt modified with the addition of recycled rubber in Lombardy.

Robbio (PV) is once more a pioneering town for what concerns sustainability and technological innovation. Indeed, thanks to the effort of the local administration and the support of Ecopneus, this town in the province of Pavia has chosen to use asphalts “modified” with the addition of rubber powder recycled from ELTs for the resurfacing of its road network. Ecopneus is a non-profit consortium and is currently the main operator in the sector of the management of End-of-Life Tyres in Italy. Viale Gramsci – an important road that links the ring-road with the town centre – was the subject of this requalification project.

It has been a responsible and convenient choice considering the exceptional properties of this technology, which has already been used on over 60 km of roads throughout the whole Region Lombardy. Indeed, modified asphalts guarantee greater resistance to wear and the creation of cracks and potholes; moreover, they last for up to three times longer than conventional asphalts. This implies reduced maintenance costs as well as a reduction of the noise generated by the passing vehicles up to 5 dB.

The resurfacing works carried out in Robbio have involved a total surface of 8,000 sq. m. Low-noise emission asphalts modified with the addition of about 10 tonnes of rubber powder recycled from ELTs have been used. This amount was obtained from the recycling of over 1,500 End-of-life Tyres.  The works have been carried out by the contractor Ronzoni of the city of Seveso (MB). The conglomerate, instead, has been produced by the company Eco Asfalti srl.

In reality, Robbio’s inhabitants already know this innovative technology: indeed, in 2020, the town’s main roads (Via Galilei, Largo Avis, Via Calatafimi, Via San Valeriano, Via San Nicolao, and Via Ghinaglia), were resurfaced with asphalts modified with recycled rubber to test their duration and noiselessness. The peaceful sleep of those who live along the road and its perfect surface, convinced the Town Administration coordinated by Roberto Francese to further invest in this technology. This intervention was made possible also to the commitment of the Service Manager and Sole Responsible for the Procedure (RUP), Ms Valeria Baldi and the effective involvement of the person responsible for the town’s road maintenance, Mr Secondo Borando. Indeed, Mr Borando took care of the design of this project in collaboration with Ecopneus. The latter supplied technical assistance in the definition of the specific materials.

Cassa Depositi e Prestiti financed the project carried out in the town of Robbio thanks to its important technological ad environmental value.

Robbio’s mayor, Mr Roberto Francese, stated: “Robbio is a true example of circular economy applied to the Public Administration. With these works, we are able to concretely turn waste into precious resources, such as the elastomers present in asphalts that derive from End-of-Life Tyres. Without their recycling, they would be a problem for the environment. Only if we manage to reduce fossil fuels in favour of renewables and recycled sources such as these, we will be able to give a future to the new generations. Indeed, sustainable development allows for an economic growth – both now and in the future –  that does not compromise the ecosystem and can reduce CO2 emissions. Another advantage is the reduced noise the citizens are appreciating very much as these are residential areas subject to high levels of traffic.”.

Federico Dossena, General Manager of Ecopneus, commented: “Robbio’s intervention is the concrete testimony of the importance of the correct recovery and recycling of End-of-Life Tyres. Ecopneus is strongly committed to the spreading of this valid technology, which is already present on more than 600 km of roads all over Italy. Thanks to the vision of Robbio’s administration, an intervention with high technological and environmental value has been completed. Not only it represents an intelligent use of public finances, but it also benefits citizens in terms of noise reduction and increased road safety, thanks to a road surface that is always in excellent state and is very performing”.

Every year, Ecopneus manages the collection, treatment and recovery of about 200,000 tonnes of ELTs destined to recycling in many sports applications, infrastructures, urban furniture or energy recovery. Thanks to the sustainability policies started by its administration, Robbio’s citizens will carry on personally enjoying the advantages of the bituminous conglomerates modified with ELT-derived rubber.