Aree

Waste from construction and demolition operations constitute, in absolute terms, the most significant flow of Waste from Economic Activities produced at both a European and national level. The construction sector, through the intense use of natural resources, generates strong impacts on the territory and a progressive impoverishment of the raw material due to the opening of natural aggregate quarries. The European Commission has, therefore, considered it a priority to monitor the flow of waste from construction and demolition activities by setting, in Article 11 of Directive 2008/98/EC on waste, a specific objective of preparation for the reuse, recycling and other types of recovery of material, including reclamation operations that use waste to replace other materials. In 2023, the recovery and recycling rate of construction and demolition waste stands at 81%, above the 70% target set for 2020 by Directive 2008/98/EC.

The indicator measures the quantities of Waste from Economic Activities that are intended abroad for the purposes of recovery and disposal. In 2023, the total amount of special waste exported is 5.5 million tons, of which 3.7 million tons are non-hazardous waste (67% of the total) and 1.8 million tons are dangerous waste (33% of the total). The major quantities of waste are intended for Germany and Austria, respectively about 1.2 million tons and over 700 thousand tons.

In 2023, the preparation for re-use and recycling rate—calculated using Methodology 4 and excluding construction and demolition (C&D) waste from household sources—stood at 50.8%, thus exceeding the 50% target set for 2020.

The indicator evaluates the pressures on the environment and the efficiency of resources used by the economy to generate wealth, as well as its progress toward achieving a circular economy. In 2022, the ratio of national waste production to gross domestic product (GDP) was slightly above the European average (66 kg/1,000€ vs. 60 kg/1,000€). Overall, the economic system still appears unable to limit waste production in relation to the wealth produced. 

European regulations set ambitious recycling targets for 2025 and 2030 for packaging waste, which represents one of the main monitored waste flows. The packaging waste recycling rate, calculated as the ratio between the amount of waste recycled and the amount of waste produced, tracks progress toward a circular economy by assessing the reintegration of materials into industrial cycles as secondary raw materials. To ensure uniform measurement conditions for the new targets based on the actual quantity of packaging waste reprocessed to create new products, materials, or substances, stringent calculation methodologies have been defined at the European level. With the application of the new methodologies, the targets set for 2025 have already been reached for all packaging fractions, except for plastics. To increase recycling rates, one of the action lines is the development of new treatment technologies, especially for those types of waste that are currently difficult to recover through mechanical processes.