Paper and board: data on collection in Italy

Comieco’s 20th annual report presented in July: more than 3 million tons of paper and board collected and recycled in 2014.

Italy continues to advance as a responsible recycler of paper and board: after fifteen years of levels remaining stable, in part due to the decline in consumption, 2014 saw a 4% increase over the previous year, with the total amount collected exceeding 3.1 million tons, a total of 120 thousand additional tons. Since Comieco’s formation in 2013, the figure went from 300,000 to 3 million tons of waste collected, with further growth expected in 2015.
Positive trends were recorded in all three regions surveyed: +1.6% in Northern Italy (+6.7% in Liguria), +4.7% in Central Italy and +10.6% in Southern Italy (driven by the Campania region’s +17.6%).
But how much does the average Italian recycle? Just under 52 kg per year. The ranking of regions puts Trentino Alto Adige (83.1 kg per resident), Emilia Romagna (81.8 kg) and Valle d’Aosta (73.5 kg) in the top three places.
In conclusion, Italy’s center and north have been running side by side for years, with a per capita rate of 63 kg per inhabitant per year in 2014. The south lags behind, in spite of a remarkable advance during the last year, with 29.9 kg. These results are comforting and give reason to be optimistic, albeit with plenty of work still to be done for a few regions that struggle to match the national trend, particularly Sicily, which in 2014 recorded a 7.1% reduction in recycling of this material.