What Deco does

Deco S.p.A. is an Italian environmental services company headquartered in San Giovanni Teatino (Chieti province), operating since 1989 as a vertically integrated waste management and energy recovery operator in the Abruzzo region. The company's core offering is the Mechanical-Biological Treatment (MBT/TMB) plant at Casoni di Chieti, authorized for 270,000 tonnes per year of unsorted municipal solid waste, which uses radiometric scanning, mechanical sorting, biological stabilization, and refining to produce Solid Secondary Fuel (CSS) while diverting more than 65% of incoming waste from landfill. Complementing the TMB, Deco operates three landfills (Casoni, Colle Cese, Grasciano 2) with combined capacity exceeding 2.4 million m³, a 625 kWe landfill gas-to-energy plant at Colle Cese producing ~3,000,000 kWh/year, a 1 MWp rooftop photovoltaic installation on the TMB facility producing ~1,200,000 kWh/year, a thermal destruction unit at Grasciano 2 (commissioned 2022), and a waste transfer point in Pescara plus port-side storage at Ortona.

Revenue is generated through two principal streams: regulated fees from municipalities and public entities for waste acceptance, treatment, and disposal services under the ARERA framework (Italy's national regulator for energy, networks, and environment), and managed services revenue from the sale of electricity generated via landfill gas recovery and photovoltaic installations. Customers comprise Abruzzo municipalities (primary segment) and industrial waste producers (secondary segment), serviced through direct contractual relationships rather than open-market sales. Pricing is contract-based and not publicly disclosed. Deco has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gruppo Acea — a major Italian multi-utility — since 2021, and holds ISO 9001/14001/45001, SA8000, EMAS, BEST 4 PLUS, SOA qualification, and the maximum 3-star Rating di Legalità, enabling eligibility for Italian public tenders above €150,000.

Name

Deco

Legal name

Deco S.p.A.

Website

https://decogroup.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Deco S.p.A. is an Italian regulated waste management and energy recovery utility serving Abruzzo municipalities and industrial clients with an integrated MBT plant, landfills, biogas-to-energy facilities, and photovoltaic installations, operating as a subsidiary of Gruppo Acea since 2021.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management and Energy Recovery Services

NAICS

Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622), Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Subtitle: Waste Treatment & Disposal — Sub-industries (L4) (EUAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Landfill Gas (LFG) Capture, Flaring & Energy Utilization (LFG-to-Electricity/RNG) (EUAIACAL), E-waste & Universal Waste Collection/Transfer (Electronics, Lamps, Batteries) (EUAIABAG)

Keywords

• Waste management services
• Mechanical biological treatment
• Landfill gas recovery
• Renewable energy generation
• Municipal solid waste

Headquarters

HQ city

Spoltore

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Waste Treatment and Disposal Services: Deco provides integrated waste management services including mechanical-biological treatment, landfill disposal, waste transfer, and energy recovery. Revenue is generated through fees charged to municipalities and industrial waste producers for waste acceptance, treatment, and disposal services, regulated under ARERA framework.
2. Energy Sales from Renewable Sources: Generation and sale of electricity from landfill gas recovery (biogas) and photovoltaic installations. The Colle Cese plant produces ~3,000,000 kWh/year from biogas; the TMB rooftop photovoltaic produces ~1,200,000 kWh/year.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Deco designs, builds, and operates integrated waste management and energy recovery facilities in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its core operations include a Mechanical-Biological Treatment (MBT) plant for municipal solid waste (270,000 t/year authorized capacity), landfill disposal sites, photovoltaic electricity generation systems, landfill gas-to-energy recovery plants, and waste transfer stations. The company processes over 80,000 tonnes of waste annually and recovers energy from biogas and solar sources, serving municipalities and industrial clients under the ARERA regulatory framework.

Product overview

Deco is a waste management and energy recovery company offering integrated solutions for the design, construction, and management of waste treatment, remediation, and energy recovery facilities. The product portfolio centers on five interconnected operations: the Mechanical Biological Treatment (TMB) plant as the primary waste processing hub, complemented by landfill disposal sites (smaltimento) as the final destination for residual waste, photovoltaic plants for solar energy generation, landfill gas energy recovery systems that convert biogas into electricity, and waste transfer stations (PTR) that optimize logistics. Together these facilities enable Deco to process municipal solid waste, recover energy from biogas, produce renewable electricity, and provide comprehensive waste management services across the Abruzzo region of Italy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Impianto di Trattamento Meccanico Biologico (TMB) / Mechanical-Biological Treatment Plant Mechanical Biological Treatment plant for municipal solid waste located at Casoni di Chieti with an authorized capacity of 270,000 tonnes/year. Among the first plants in Europe by technology and dimensions, it enables recovery and energy valorization of undifferentiated urban waste, achieving less than 35% landfill diversion through biostabilization and CSS production. The plant uses radiometric scanning, mechanical sorting, biological stabilization, and Solid Secondary Fuel (CSS) production. Target customers: municipalities and industrial waste producers in the Abruzzo region.
• Impianti di Smaltimento (Landfill Disposal Facilities) Licensed landfill facilities for non-hazardous waste disposal, representing the final destination for non-recoverable waste from treatment processes. Operates facilities at Casoni (Chieti), Colle Cese (Spoltore), and Grasciano 2 (Notaresco) with combined capacities exceeding 2.4 million cubic meters. Target customers: municipalities generating residual MSW and industrial waste producers.
• Impianti Fotovoltaici (Photovoltaic Energy Systems) Photovoltaic energy systems on industrial rooftops and ground-mounted installations in the Abruzzo region. Currently managing a 1 MWp plant on the TMB facility rooftop covering 10,000 sqm, producing approximately 1,200,000 kWh/year of electricity, equivalent to ~460 households. Customers: energy markets via electricity sale.
• Impianti di Recupero Energetico del Gas di Discarica (Landfill Gas Energy Recovery Plants) Landfill gas energy recovery plants that capture biogas produced from anaerobic degradation of organic fractions in waste and convert it to electricity. Active plant at Colle Cese has 625 kWe capacity producing approximately 3,000,000 kWh/year (sufficient for ~1,100 households) plus thermal destruction units at Grasciano 2. Customers: energy markets via electricity sale.
• Punto di Trasbordo dei Rifiuti (PTR) / Waste Transfer Station Waste transfer station that optimizes waste logistics by transferring loads from road collection vehicles to higher-capacity Deco vehicles, reducing traffic and CO2 emissions. Located in Pescara (Via Raiale 110); after transfer, waste is sent to the TMB treatment facility. Target customers: municipal collection services and waste haulers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Less than 35% of incoming waste is sent to landfill; the remainder is biostabilized and converted to CSS
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Gruppo AceacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Deco has been part of Gruppo Acea since 2021, providing continuity, transparency, and innovation. Acea is a major Italian multi-utility group operating in water, energy, and environmental services. Deco operates as a subsidiary within the Acea group's environmental division, sharing governance and compliance systems including a common whistleblowing platform.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Herambiente (Hera Group): Herambiente is Hera Group's environmental services division and one of Italy's largest waste management operators, running MBT plants, landfills, and waste-to-energy facilities under ARERA-like regulated frameworks. Direct competitor in integrated MSW treatment, landfill disposal, and energy recovery, serving municipalities across Emilia-Romagna and northern/central Italy.
• A2A Ambiente: A2A Ambiente is the environmental arm of A2A, a major Italian multi-utility, operating mechanical-biological treatment, landfill, and waste-to-energy assets serving municipalities in Lombardy and northern Italy. Closely comparable to Deco's vertically integrated waste + energy recovery model under regulated public-sector contracts.
• Iren Ambiente: Iren Ambiente is the waste management subsidiary of Iren Group, another major Italian multi-utility. Operates MBT plants, landfills, and material recovery facilities serving municipalities across northern and central Italy under regulated public contracts—comparable business model and customer base to Deco.
• Acea Ambiente: Acea Ambiente is the parent group's environmental division and Deco's sister company, operating waste treatment, recycling, and energy-from-waste plants across central Italy. Direct comparable for the same integrated service portfolio, regulatory exposure, and customer type (municipalities under ARERA framework).

Broad incumbents

• Veolia Italia (Veolia Environnement): Veolia Italia is the Italian subsidiary of Veolia, a global environmental services incumbent, operating waste collection, treatment, and energy-from-waste services for Italian municipalities and industrial clients. Wider geographic and service footprint than Deco, but overlapping value chain (collection through disposal).

Emerging players

• Asja Ambiente Italia: Asja Ambiente operates landfill gas-to-energy, biogas upgrading, and organic waste-to-biogas plants across Italy. Comparable to Deco's landfill gas recovery and renewable energy generation activities (Colle Cese 625 kWe, Grasciano 2 thermal destruction), though more focused on energy valorization than integrated waste management.

Regional players

• AMA Roma S.p.A. AMA Roma is the municipal waste management operator for the city of Rome, running MBT plants, landfills, and waste-to-energy facilities in Lazio. Operates a similar integrated model to Deco but at much larger scale and within a different (overlapping) Italian region.
• DECO (Portugal) / Resinorte-equivalents: Portuguese waste management operators (e.g., Resinorte/Sumalobo under Grupo LENA) run MBT plants, landfills, and biogas recovery for Portuguese municipalities under EU regulatory framework comparable to ARERA. Useful as a regional benchmark for the Mediterranean/Iberian integrated waste operator model.
• Gestione Ambientale S.p.A. (SienAmbiente): SienAmbiente is a Tuscan-based integrated waste management operator running landfills, MBT, and recovery facilities for municipalities in central Italy. Comparable mid-scale, multi-site operator with similar regulated utility revenue model.

Others

• CONAI / Corepla consortia: CONAI and its material consortia (e.g., Corepla for plastics) coordinate packaging waste recovery across Italy. Not a direct competitor but an ecosystem participant that influences Deco's recycling/recovery flows and offtake economics for sorted fractions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/decoindustry
• Facebookfacebook.com/DecoSpA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deco-spa?trk=company_logo
• Xx.com/Deco_Spa

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Deco