The campaign against the abandonment of end-of-life tyres (ELT) was presented today in Naples; the campaign is promoted by the Ministry of the Environment in collaboration with Ecopneus – non-profit limited consortium engaged in ELT tracing, collection, and recovery throughout Italy – in the scope foreseen by the Protocol signed, among others, also by the Home Office Appointee for the Fires Land, Donato Cafagna, Naples Prefecture, Caserta Prefecture, Naples Municipality, Caserta Municipality.

I choose the right way” is the campaign’s title, supporting the collection activities of abandoned ELT in the Fires Land, taking them away from the criminal practice that often transform them into a material suitable to start toxic fires. “A commitment sending a strong message to citizens – the Ministry Andrea Orlando declared – so that they can contribute to interrupt the tyres abandonment chain linked to toxic fires, paired with the State presence and intervention to the territory’s benefit".

In fact, from the campaign starts a call against the “blackpurchase of tyres, a phenomenon from which originates a waste flow reappearing in fields or roadside, and triggering those fires sadly identifying this land. “If you buy them illegally, you kill your land”: through this strong message and the image of a tyre transforming into a revolver’s cylinder, the campaign promoted by the Ministry of the Environment and by Ecopneus aims at highlighting the possibility for each citizen to concretely contribute to legality, and to allow to the effects of the extraordinary collection to become enduring.

The correct end-of-life tyres management and their recovery, in fact can be guaranteed only through the legal purchase of new tyres, with the issue of a regular receipt. All that is possible and already a practice in all Italian regions, in Campania as well, where Ecopneus has collected, since the start of the system up to today, 38,427 ELT tons, all sent to recovery. The result of a correct management of such wastes is symbolically visible through a work offered by Ecopneus to the city of Naples: a multifunctional sport field made with ELT recycled rubber, inside the historical structure San Nicola da Tolentino, where the campaign was presented.

The extraordinary collection activities of tyres abandoned in the Fires Land started at the beginning of August with a test in NaplesDonato Cafagna stated – next week a new collection in Naples is expected, and immediately after an intervention will start in Caivano, while in Scisciano the preliminary activities to support Ecopneus’s intervention are starting".

The collection activities will gradually be extended to the applicant Municipalities, and it is expected they will continue up to June 2014, or in any case up to the complete resources use, 1.5 million Euro made available by some of Ecopneus partners1.

For EcopneusGiovanni Corbetta, Ecopneus Managing Director stated – the commitment in the Fires Land, beside the Ministry of the Environment, is added to the daily ELT collection and recovery throughout Italy: by reacting rigorously and transparently to the responsibility conferred to us by the law, and contributing to a great environment safeguard target in our Country”.

The campaign has its own website, ioscelgolastradagiusta.it, and a Facebook page, facebook.com/ioscelgolastradagiusta, and it will be constantly updated about the collection activities and the territory initiatives.

For information:
Hill+Knowlton Strategies Roma – ioscelgolastradagiusta@hkstrategies.com
Silvia Brunozzi (Campaign Responsible) tel. +39/06/441640325 – +39/335/1309389
Federica d’Amato (Press agent) tel. +39/06/441640307 – +39/340/1047473

1 B.R. Pneumatici spa, Bersangomme srl, Devalle Gomme snc, Gexpo spa, GRG Pneumatici srl, Laneve pneumatici srl, Mecerdes – Benz Italia spa, Natale Illario, Parise Gomme snc, Pneus Sette srl, Pneusmarket spa, Pneusmarket Alpina spa, Ponente Gomme, R.G.S. pneumatici srl , Rossi Lamberto srl, Solideal Italia spa, Trelleborg W.S.I spa, Union Pneus Italia srl, Univergomme spa, Apollo Vredestein Italia spa, Zuin spa.