Aree

The indicator measures the quantities of special waste 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.

Construction and demolition waste represents, in absolute terms, the most significant flow of special waste produced both at the European and national levels. The construction sector, through its intensive use of natural resources, has a strong impact on the environment, leading to the depletion of raw materials due to the extraction of natural aggregates.

For this reason, the European Commission has prioritized the monitoring of construction and demolition waste flows, setting a specific target for reuse preparation, recycling, and other material recovery operations, including backfilling, under Article 11 of Directive 2008/98/EC on waste.

In 2022, the recovery and recycling rate for construction and demolition waste stood at 79.8%, exceeding the 70% target set for 2020 by Directive 2008/98/EC. 

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.