Sogin is an action developer of the European Week for Waste Reduction (SERR), the European campaign, recognised by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Safety (MASE), aimed at raising awareness on waste reduction.
On the 10th edition of the SERR, Sogin opened the doors of the Garigliano power plant on 20 November 2018 to host the event entitled "Circular economy for nuclear decommissioning”. The objective was to explain how the dismantling activities of nuclear facilities are designed and carried out to ensure the recovery and recycling of the materials produced. ”.
The initiative was attended by local institutions, national and local journalists, and representatives of major local environmental associations.
In the same context, on 5 December 2018, Sogin participated, as an action developer, in the event celebrating the ten years of SERR. During the event, which was attended by the Environment Ministers of the Italian Government over the last ten years, including the current Minister, Sogin presented its circular economy project, highlighting its strengths and areas for improvement.
The Sogin Group once again confirmed its participation in SERR in 2019, opening the doors of the Casaccia site to a group of students from the Department of Astronautical, Electrical and Energy Engineering from La Sapienza in Rome.
Together with our technicians, future engineers tracked the chain of "radioactive waste" produced by the dismantling of the obsolete Glove Boxes (SaG) at the Plutonium Plant (IPU).
During the day, a tour of the IPU and Nucleco facilities highlighted the complexities involved in the dismantling of plutonium-contaminated GSAs, as well as the methods and techniques for managing radioactive materials, from characterisation to treatment and temporary storage at the site. All this illustrates how the design and implementation of these activities reduces the amount of radioactive waste that needs to be disposed of.
In 2020, the Group promoted the webinar "Innovation for the sustainable management of radioactive waste", on the occasion of the 19th edition of the SERR.
At the most recent edition of SERR, Sogin welcomed about 75 students from the "Leone Caetani" Comprehensive Institute of Cisterna di Latina to the Latina facility for a visit. This experience provided students with a better understanding of the issues related to the nuclear sector and circular economy. More specifically, the solutions and technologies adopted to minimise the waste produced by dismantling and its reuse were highlighted. For example, in Latina, the dismantling of the steam generator screens in the reactor building produced a total of about 1,200 tons of material which, after the appropriate radiometric checks, were removed from the site and sent for recovery.
In line with the theme of the 2024 edition "Good taste, no waste!", a decalogue of ten good practices was drawn up and circulated, both inside and outside the Company, inviting everyone to contribute to reducing food waste, based on small everyday actions.
Participation in initiatives such as SERR underlines the Company's commitment to the dissemination of a culture of sustainability and environmental education, especially with regard to the new generations.