SUFALNET

About Suflanet

Suflanet is a network built within the European programme INTERREG IIIC West Zone, and it deals with the environmental and health problems related to dismissed dumps, as well as with the opportunity of re-using materials and lands. The projects started in 2005 and lasted 36 months with a total budget of 1.324.200€.

The Objectives

The main aim of the project is to share information and experiences about the re-using of closed or abandoned dumps.
Damps, especially those that were built using obsolete techniques, represent an environmental problem in all the European countries. This requires monitoring and evaluation activities about the potential risk they have for the environment and human health, and the implementation of reclamation interventions. These kind of interventions usually required a considerable amount of public financial resources, but some innovative re-using strategies can increase the economic benefits for the communities, and, in some particular cases (i.e. inert damps) the damped materials can be re-used making cheaper the reclamation interventions.
SUFLANET elaborated a common strategy for European countries about the reclamation, the re-using and the management of dismissed (or almost-dismissed) damps.
Specific objectives of the projects are:
- the identification of relevant experiences and good practices on reclamation, re-using and post-closure management of the damps
- to urge local, regional and national authorities into the implementation of damps’ reclamation and re-using plans
- the improvement of the efficiency and the effectiveness of old damps management systems
- to inform about the potential economic benefits for the communities that can spring from to the re-using of damps, and about the amelioration of public perception about old damps
- to make the problem of dismissed damps part of the European agenda

The Products

Project’s partners shared managerial and technical experiences and studies through seminars, study-trips, workpapers, reports, semestral newsletter, and the website.
Three are the output of the project:
1. Papers and study-trips on damps monitoring and risk evaluation
2. Papers and study-trips on post-closure management
3. Papers and study-trips on damps re-using
In particular 6 study-trips were organized to: Den Bosch (The Netherlands), Vilnius (Lithuania), Venice (Italy), Asti (Italy), Wielkopolska (Poland), Brussels (Belgium)

The Network

SUFLANET’s network is made of 22 institutions and research centres:
Nord Brabante Province (NL – coordinator); Waste- and soilcare North Holland (NL); Geological Survey of Lower Saxony (DE); Municipal association for waste management West Saxony (ZAW) (DE); City of Emden (DE); Cork County Council (CorkCC) (IE); Norhtown Technology Park (NTP) (LT); Marshal Office of the Wielkopolska region (PL); Forest Research Institute (FRI) (SK); Labein research foundation (ES); Belfast City Council (UK); Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council (UK); Training and Employment Municipal Centre of Marbella Council (ES); T.E.D.K. of Achaia county- western Greece (local union of municipalities) (GR); West Sweden (SE); Wastes Management Services - West Sussex County Council (UK); Energy and Environment Agency of Interior (PT), CORILA (IT); Verona Province (IT); Asti Municipality (IT); MKTP Territorial Marketing (IT); GESCO Ambiente (IT).

The role of CORILA

CORILA participated to the projects’ activities and seminars, with a particolar contribution on the theme “damps re-using”, of which GESCO Ambiente is the lead partner. CORILA organized a seminar and a study-trip in Venice in May 2006 on the San Giuliano’s damp. The output of the visit has been included in the best-practices report.

The Study-Trip in Venice

The study-trip organized in Venice presented the San Giuliano case study, focusing on the process of re-using the local damp, starting from the planning phase and ending with the management system of the park.
Data and materials were made available regarding:
- the urban and territorial context (history, legislative framework,…) including the industrial area of Porto Marghera
- the project of intervention from its initial conception to its inclusion within public spatial planning, including an evaluation of its economic benefits for the community
- the decision-making process
- the workplan of the intervention and the technologies used
- the management of the park