An effective and sustainable solution comes from tyres

A recent investigation by the online version of the well known Italian newspaper Repubblica.it on noise pollution does not mince words: one fifth of the European population is exposed to excessive noise, which is responsible for 10,000 deaths a year in Europe and increases in cardiac disease, sleep problems and cognitive disorders in children. Sanctions have been applied against Italy for failing to implement abatement plans. If the situation does not change in the next year, these sanctions will take the form of heavy and recurrent fines. Often underestimated, this is an environmental problem that is making itself “heard”.
However, a solution that will certainly make a difference here comes from Ecopneus (the nonprofit organization in charge of managing discarded tyres in Italy) and from your car’s tyres at the end of their lifecycle. Recycled rubber, mixed in with asphalt, creates a sound-absorbing pavement that reduces traffic noise by up to 7 dB(A) and lasts up to three times longer than traditional asphalt thanks to its enhanced resistance to cracking and splitting. This is a technology developed in the United States in the 1960s that has now spread throughout the world. And if, as claimed in the La Repubblica study, each decibel above the limits fixed by the World Health Organization corresponds to an increase of 5% in emergency medical care for cardiac problems, the value of this solution for people’s wellbeing quickly becomes clear.
Acoustic barriers have often been put up to reduce excessive noise levels. This is an effective solution, but cannot be applied everywhere, especially not in urban centres, where they may be too close to houses, or in high value landscapes. There are also the economic aspects, a crucial issue for public administrations in these times of spending reviews and the new Italian infrastructure spending law “Sblocca Italia”. When the costs for installing acoustic barriers run around 1000-1500 euros per metre, the use of sound-absorbing asphalt containing recycled tyre rubber is certainly a less costly alternative at approximately 10 euros per square metre. According to Ecopneus – which is working hard to see this valid alternative implemented – there are now more than 235 km of roads in Italy paved with asphalt containing ground rubber and the inhabitants of many cities in Campania, Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Lombardy, Piedmont, Trentino Alto Adige, Tuscany and Veneto are already benefiting from the advantages of this technology.