Panel 1
Irma Lupica
In 2022, 1.1 million tons of special waste were sent for incineration, of which approximately 699,000 tons (63% of the total) were non-hazardous and over 409,000 tons (37% of the total) were hazardous. The total number of plants that received special waste is 70, 27 of which are primarily authorized for the treatment of municipal waste. The majority of these plants are located in the North (43), with 7 in the Center and 20 in the South. In line with the distribution of the incineration plant fleet, the majority of special waste is treated in plants located in the North (83.9% of the total, over 929,000 tons), followed by the Southern regions with 13.8% (over 153,000 tons) and the Central regions with 2.3% (25,000 tons).
An "incineration plant" is defined as any unit and technical equipment, either fixed or mobile, intended for the thermal treatment of waste with or without recovery of the heat produced by combustion. The indicator in question measures the quantities (expressed in tons) of special waste treated in incineration plants and the corresponding number of plants present in the territory.
The indicator measures the quantities (in tons) of special waste treated in incineration plants and the number of incineration plants present across the country.
The European regulatory framework for waste incineration is provided by Directive 2010/75/EU of the European Parliament and Council of November 24, 2010, concerning industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control), which has been implemented nationally in Title III-bis of Part IV of the Environmental Code (Legislative Decree 152/06). This directive regulates waste incineration and co-incineration for both hazardous and non-hazardous waste, from the construction of plants to the various stages of incineration, from the reception of waste to the disposal of residues.
The directive sets specific provisions regarding:
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Emission limit values
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Methods for sampling, analyzing, and evaluating pollutants from waste incineration and co-incineration plants
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Technical criteria for the construction, functional, and operational characteristics of incineration and co-incineration plants, with particular emphasis on ensuring integrated environmental protection from emissions caused by these plants
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Timelines for compliance with new provisions for existing plants.
The Commission Decision 2019/2010/EU established conclusions on Best Available Techniques (BAT) for waste incineration, which serve as a reference for setting authorization conditions, including emission limit values under normal operating conditions for installations subject to Directive 2010/75/EU (IPPC).
Panel 2
ISPRA - Rapporto rifiuti speciali Edition 2024
Data quality assessment
ISPRA/ARPA/APPA
Modello Unico di dichiarazione Ambientale MUD ISPRA - Catasto rifiuti (http://www.catasto-rifiuti.isprambiente.it).
National, Regional
2011-2022
Indicator assessment
The indicator measures the quantity of special waste incinerated in Italy. Information is provided by the different waste types, i.e., hazardous and non-hazardous special waste treated in incineration plants. Additionally, data is provided on incineration quantities both by individual plant and at a regional level. The information is based on the data contained in the Unified Environmental Declaration Form, submitted by the entities identified under Article 189, paragraph 3 of Legislative Decree no. 152/2006 to the Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Crafts, and Agriculture. The indicator also measures the number of special waste incineration plants.
In 2022, 1.1 million tons of special waste were sent for incineration, of which approximately 699,000 tons (63% of the total) were non-hazardous and over 409,000 tons (37% of the total) were hazardous (Table 1). The total number of plants receiving special waste is 70, 27 of which are primarily authorized for the treatment of urban waste (Table 3). In Italy, incineration of special waste is a relatively uncommon disposal method, accounting for 0.6% of the total waste managed in 2022 (178 million tons). Compared to 2021, there is a slight increase in the quantity of special waste incinerated (0.4%, approximately 5,000 tons) (Table 1) and a decrease in the number of plants (-5.4%, -4 units) (Table 3).
In the period 2011-2022, despite the reduction of 30 plants, the incineration of special waste increased by 47.8% (Tables 1, 3, and Figure 1).
Data
Table 1: Quantity of special waste incinerated in Italy, by type of waste
ISPRA
Table 2: Quantity of total special waste (SW) and hazardous special waste (HW) incinerated in Italy
ISPRA
Table 4: Quantity of special waste used in incineration plants with energy recovery (R1) – (2022)
ISPRA
Figure 1: Trend of special waste incinerated in Italy, by type of waste
ISPRA
In 2022, 1.1 million tons of special waste were sent for incineration, treated both in special waste incineration plants and in plants primarily dedicated to the treatment of urban waste and authorized by the competent authorities as disposal facilities (D10) and/or as energy recovery facilities (R1), in accordance with note 4 of Annex C of Legislative Decree 152/06. Specifically, approximately 626,000 tons of special waste were treated with the R1 recovery operation (Table 4). The number of special waste incineration plants in the national territory in 2022 was 70, with 43 located in the North, 7 in the Center, and 20 in the South (Table 3).
Regional data show that in Lombardy, 50.5% of the total special waste treated in Italy is incinerated, along with 45.5% of hazardous waste, while in Emilia-Romagna, 17.3% of the special waste and 9.8% of the hazardous waste are incinerated (Table 2). Compared to 2021, the quantities of hazardous special waste decreased by 9%, while those of non-hazardous waste increased by 6.9% (Table 1 and Figure 1).