Panel 1
Angelo Santini, Fabio Tatti
In 2023, the ratio between the amount of organic waste recycled and the amount collected separately reached 80.9%, reflecting an increase compared to both 2022 (79.9%) and 2021 (80.7%).
Organic waste represents a key stream for achieving the recovery and recycling targets set by current waste management regulations. It is therefore essential to increase the amount of organic waste collected separately through more efficient waste collection systems, minimizing the volume sent to landfill. This indicator measures the ratio between the annual amount of organic waste collected separately and the amount recycled.
To measure progress in circular economy policies, providing a basis for setting common long-term goals and defining new policies. This indicator is part of the core set of indicators identified by the National Strategy for Circular Economy.
For organic waste, the obligation of separate collection has been in force at the European Union level since December 31, 2023 (Article 22 of Directive 2008/98/EC). In Italy, pursuant to Article 182-ter of Legislative Decree No. 152/2006, the obligation for all municipalities came into effect on December 31, 2021.
According to paragraph 6 of Article 182-ter, biodegradable and compostable packaging and materials certified under UNI EN 13432 are included in the organic waste collection. Regulations on organic waste and biodegradable/compostable plastic waste are important because they:
- Significantly contribute to achieving the national target of at least 65% separate collection of municipal waste.
- Play a crucial role in meeting the EU target for municipal waste recycling (50% by 2020, 55% thereafter).
Panel 2
ISPRA - Rapporto Rifiuti Urbani (various editions)
Data quality assessment
ISPRA (Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research)
I dati della raccolta su scala nazionale, per macroarea regionale, regionale, provincia e comune sono liberamente consultabili e scaricabili dal sito www.catasto-rifiuti.isprambiente.it.
National
2020-2023
Indicator assessment
The indicator is calculated as the ratio of the total amount of separately collected organic waste in Italy to the amount of organic waste that is effectively recycled.
In 2023, the ratio between the amount of organic waste recycled and the amount collected separately was 80.9% (Table 1 and Figure 1).
Il trend dal 2020 è sostanzialmente stabile. Nel 2023 si rileva un valore percentuale pari al 80,9%, in leggero aumento rispetto al 79,9% del 2022 e all’80,7% del 2021 (Tabella 1 e Figura 1).
Data
Figure 1: Trend of the ratio between quantities of organic waste recycled and quantities of organic waste separately collected
ISPRA
Table 1: Percentage of municipal waste separately collected and recycled
ISPRA
A comparison between the overall separate collection rate (66.6% in 2023) and the recycling rate (50.8%) of municipal waste reveals a significant gap between collection and actual material recovery. This discrepancy highlights the need to focus on the quality of separate collection—particularly for organic waste—which plays a critical role in ensuring the production of a compliant soil improver (compost) that meets regulatory standards and is therefore marketable as a product (Table 1). Moreover, organic waste sent for recycling represents the most influential waste stream in determining the overall recycling rate for municipal waste, accounting for 41% of the total recycled fraction.