Differentiated waste: it's a serious thing

There is a psychological tendency that suggests a priori optimism when faced with complex situations: so we hope that – no matter what happens – everything will pass. Instead, the most useful attitude would be to see the glass half full and half empty, only in this way can we understand how to progress and what to change. Let's start with an example related to the environment that seems to work in Italy: separate waste collection. There is always a clash among political forces between those who practice separate waste collection and those who only believe in waste-to-energy plants. Italian and European legislation have chosen the path of common sense for decades, avoiding extremes (everything can be recycled, everything must be incinerated), according to the scheme first recycle and then obtain more energy from what is not recyclable. Let's evaluate together the data from the Turin waste-to-energy plant: 578 thousand wastes per year produce 375 thousand GWh of energy for 9,900 average heated homes.

As far as recycling is concerned, the advantages are important: the considerable employment, the saving of raw materials, the lower emission of CO2 and pollution with landfills, the development of research for the continuous introduction of new materials and for new products. And yet, there are those (and I would prefer not to mention the name) who write that: «Separate waste collection appears to be a colossal demagogic set-up that will not save the planet, but complicates the life of ordinary people. There is a mania in the procedures, paranoia, unless you have nothing to do, often useless because most of the waste will end up together again. For correct disposal there is only one word and it is called incinerator». Obviously the discussion is carried forward without data or scientific evidence. Perhaps it is worth reflecting on the production of waste today in Italy. First of all: we have two types of waste. Urban waste and special waste. The latter are less talked about and are more: around 160 million t, of which 150 are non-hazardous and 9.4 are hazardous. They often give rise to the largest crimes in the waste cycle. In Italy, 9,309 cases of illegal trafficking were recorded in 2023, with Campania, Sicily, Puglia and Calabria leading the way in environmental crimes in general. Let's look at urban waste: in absolute values, it is 29.6 million t. Most of it in the north with 14.2 million for a population of around 27.5 million people; for the center, we are talking about 6.3 million for a population of 12 million inhabitants. Finally, the south with 9.1 million t and 19.7 million inhabitants. Urban waste has been growing again in recent years: compared to 494 kilos per capita in 2023, we have reached 502 in 2024. In this way, the average expenditure sustained by families for waste increases proportionally (€329 in 2024), with an increase of 2.6% compared to the previous year for a typical family, consisting of 3 people and a home of 100 square meters. In the South, people spend more and separate less.

The general figure for separate waste collection (including all those in progress, not just packaging) is 66.63% (73.37 in the North - 62.26% in the Center - 58.93 in the South). About 19% of the urban waste produced ends up in landfill. It is interesting to note that it would be possible to increase the amount recycled if the quality of collections were improved: among other things, it is estimated that even today 20% of materials are mistakenly put in the wrong sorting facilities. Specifically, regarding the sorting of packaging, we highlight the case of Veneto and Sardinia with 76%, Trentino-Alto Adige, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Marche with 70%, Umbria, Friuli, Piedmont, Valle d'Aosta and Tuscany at 65%, Sicily at 50%. At the provincial capital level, the percentage of sorting equal to or greater than 65% has been achieved by 71% of the municipalities. In 20 provincial capitals we are still below the 50% target (which was expected to be achieved in 2009!). Among these, Palermo stands out, with a percentage of sorting at 15.6%, Crotone at 21.4%, Catania at 22% and Foggia at 26%. The South as a whole is improving in recent years.

What is the situation regarding the recycling of separately collected materials? In 2023, 75.3% of the material released for consumption was collected (and, in this case, the contribution from families is decisive). The percentage required by Europe for 2030 was therefore exceeded. The truly important data is how much was actually recycled: the recycling of urban waste is at 50.8%, just above the objective set by the legislation for 2020. The 2030 objective is ambitious: 65%. We all need to row: families, companies, local authorities and anyone who produces waste. Is Italy behaving well then? Yes, but this does not apply to the entire peninsula: we can work to further improve the behavior of families and the various subjects who decide and produce.


Carlo Degiacomi
NP January 2025