Sustainable reuse of lava from volcanoes and the criminal landfill management business

Question for written answer  E-001892/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Ignazio Corrao (Verts/ALE), Piernicola Pedicini (Verts/ALE)

In its recent volcanic paroxysmal activity, Mount Etna has produced millions of cubic metres of lava, posing a major problem with regard to its disposal.

Usually the lava, the silica dust of which poses major health risks, is disposed of in landfills as special waste, thus becoming not only an environmental problem but also a huge economic cost for the community (about 150-200 EUR/tonne). In addition, landfilling can generate business linked to emergency management, which is liable to enrich the criminal structure that already exists in the landfill sector.

Scientists from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanoes (INGV) and the National Research Council (CNR) have suggested avoiding landfilling and have proposed alternative solutions, such as depositing the lava in the Bove Valley; another solution would be to highlight the properties of lava not only as a natural fertiliser and nitrate absorber, but also as a material for producing geopolymers to replace conventional concrete, a sector which has a very high impact in terms of the environment and energy consumption.

In view of this:

• 1.What is the Commission’s view of the failure to develop a sector for the sustainable reuse of volcanic material?
• 2.How does it intend to regulate the sustainable reuse of volcanic material?
• 3.Does it intend to address the risk of criminal infiltration in landfill management?