Recycling Italy

Despite the drastic reduction of household consumption and industrial production (-6.3%), in 2012 the waste recycling industry continued to grow.

In particular, the activities inherent to packaging rose 2%, reaching excellent results in traditional segments such as paper, in which 84% of the materials processed are recovered, steel (75%) and glass (71%). The growth is clear also in different sectors, like textiles (+20%) and biowaste (4.5 million tons recovered).
These are the figures of the annual study “Recycling Italy 2013”, promoted by the Confindustria member association that represents the waste recovery companies, FISE Unire, and by the Fondazione per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile (Sustainable Development Foundation).  There is still a lot to be done though - it emerges from the report - aboveall in operating homogeneously throughout the country, but to also significantly reduce disposal in landfills, that currently accounts for 43% of urban waste. Italy should, hence,  suit its national ruling to the outline directive 98/2008 of the European Community and to the action taken in other countries, where for some time now the landfill has been relegated to a secondary role.
The tools to be used are aboveall those of politics. «It is necessary - the representatives of the promoting Associations declared during the presentation of the Report - that the Italian Governments seriously support waste recycling […] both as an economic tool as well as making effective use of the recovery plants nearby, disincentivating disposal in landfills by making them more costly and promoting the qualification of the companies».

 
“L’Italia del riciclo” [Recycling Italy] can be downloaded from the website www.associazione-unire.org and www.fondazionesvilupposostenibile.org.