Urban furniture and bollards in recycled rubber and a stretch of road resurfaced with asphalt modified with recycled rubber powder from End-of-Life Tyres are the symbols of the collaboration between the Italian Army and Ecopneus. This collaboration is going on even during this delicate phase of our Country. This intervention falls within the scope of a Framework Agreement signed with the Army for the implementation of interventions and projects.
The Vaccination centre created inside the military citadel of the Cecchignola in Rome has opened to the public today. It was inaugurated on 23rd February with the vaccinations of the servicemen of all the Armed Forces in Rome and in the Lazio Region.
The courtyard inside the Centre that leads towards the pavilions where the vaccines are administered has been created with asphalt modified with rubber recycled from End-of-Life Tyres, partially coming from military vehicles, thanks to the collaboration with Ecopneus.
This intervention falls within the scope of a framework agreement for the realisation of highly performing urbanisation works with low environmental impact signed by Ecopneus and the Army’s Logistics Commander and current extra-ordinary Commissioner for the Covid-19 emergency, General Francesco Paolo Figliuolo in September 2020.
The Logistics Commander has expressed great satisfaction for the realisation of these works, highlighting the importance of the synergy started with Ecopneus for the promotion of the culture of recycling. Moreover, General Figliuolo has highlighted how this collaboration, even during this pandemic, fits well in the process undertaken by the Italian Army towards the modernisation of their infrastructures through initiatives that are efficient, functional, fully compliant with the legislation in force, and inspired by innovative criteria with low environmental impact and reduced maintenance costs.
“We are very proud of having been able to contribute to the effort made by the Army for the whole country during this critical period” declared Giovanni Corbetta, General Manager of Ecopneus. “Recycled rubber is a versatile and exceptionally performing material. We have shared know-how and specific skills with the technical departments of the Armed Forces in order to find the most performing solutions and formulations for the various needs”
The collaboration between Ecopneus and the Army’s structures started in 2019 with the creation of the surfaces in recycled rubber for some boxes and surgical rooms for horses and dogs of the Military Veterinary Centre of Grosseto. A wider Framework Agreement followed that positive experience. The Agreement is focused on the promotion of the use of recycled rubber granules and powders and on the realisation of a number of projects with the structures of the Armed Forces and several administration bodies of the Ministry of Defence.
This Framework Agreement has led, by way of example, to the realisation of the intervention at the Engineering Corps Headquarters of the Military Centre of the Cecchignola in Rome. A technical surface with high anti-shock performances has been created there, as well as some stretches of road that have been surfaced with asphalt modified with recycled rubber. Moreover, a new surface made with recycled rubber has been created for the gym of the “M.O.V.M. Emilio Bianchi” Barracks of Rome, headquarters of the Army’s Logistics Command.
These interventions are an example and a starting point for all future eventual collaborations. Thanks to the authoritative feedback so far received, these first installations confirm, once more, the potentialities of recycled rubber also in a highly-specialised sector such as the one of the Armed Forces.
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