The thrust given by Legislative Decree 22 of 5 February 1997 turned Italy into one of the leading waste recycling countries in Europe. In less than 25 years, the Italian recycling industry has experienced a surprising quantitative and qualitative growth, through the punctual application of the articles of Legislative Decree 22/1997.
The Decree
From that moment on, the idea that waste management constitutes an "activity in the public interest", useful for "ensuring a high degree of protection of the environment" (Article 2), has in fact established itself. From this point of view, "the competent authorities adopt, each within the scope of their powers, initiatives aimed at favoring, as a priority, the prevention and reduction of the production and dangerousness of waste" (Article 3). However, the prevention of waste production must be accompanied by a meticulous recovery of the same to favor "the reduction of final disposal", through reuse, recovery and recycling operations (Article 4).
From emergency to excellence
This legislation has produced a profound change in waste management. As evidenced by Foundation for sustainable development, an authoritative point of reference for the main sectors and protagonists of the green economy, the differentiated collection of urban waste increased from 9,4% in 1997 to 63% in 2020. For the recycling of industrial waste, on the other hand, there was an increase close to 50 percentage points: from 21% in 1997 to 70% in 2020.
The numbers of the supply chain
The Italian recycling industry has established itself as a crucial sector for the national production system and, according to the latest data, today it has 4.800 businesses and 236.365 employees and generates an added value of 10,5 billion.
Italy in 2020 recycled the 72% of urban and industrial waste, a European record that brilliantly surpasses the continental average, which stands at 53%, also in relation to the rate of use of recycled materials out of the total materials consumed (21,6% against 12,8% of the EU).
Recycling in Italy 2022
To understand the situation of the sector, the Foundation for Sustainable Development has produced a report: Recycling in Italy 2022, presented on the occasion of the National Conference of the Recycling Industry "Recycling excellence and future challenges", promoted by the Foundation, in collaboration with Conai, Corriere della Sera's Pianeta 2030, and with the patronage of the Ministry of the Environment and of Energy Security and ISPRA.
The report analyzed the performance of the numerous recycling chains.
The most virtuous supply chains are those of the paper and the glass, whose recycling rates for 2021 reached 85% and 77% respectively, exceeding the European target set for 2023. Furthermore, in 2021, 63% of paper and cardboard and 61,6% of glass products in Italy they come from recycling.
In the same year, the percentage of recycling of plastic packaging released for consumption reached 56%, surpassed by that of wooden packaging (65%), aluminum (68%), and steel (72%). Italy also continues to establish itself as an international excellence in the recycling of scrap iron and wood material.
Other significant results are given by the growth in the production of compostable bioplastics (+25% compared to 2020), by the increase in the recycling of used mineral oils (+5%) and by the obligation of separate collection for textiles.
Towards an efficiency improvement of the entire sector
However, it should be remembered that various recycling chains still need a change of course to approach the European targets and to achieve complete process efficiency. Among these realities we can list, in particular, the sector of waste collection of electrical and electronic equipment and batteries and accumulators.
As highlighted by Edo Ronchi, President of the Foundation for sustainable development, the recycling sector is even more strategic in a moment of negative economic situation. Funding and stimulating this sector adequately will allow us to avoid wasting resources, recovering materials useful for the national economy, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Finally, they are necessary structural interventions aimed at reducing the sector's exposure to energy price increases, which constitute, to date, the largest share of production costs for the recycling industry.
To know in detail all the data of the report Recycling in Italy 2022 click here.
Source: sustainable development foundation.org
