Descrizione 1
Angelo Santini, Fabio Tatti
In 2022, the ratio of recycled organic waste to separately collected organic waste was 79.9%, marking a decline compared to 2021 (80.7%) and 2020 (81.1%).
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).
Descrizione 2
ISPRA - Rapporto Rifiuti Urbani (various editions)
Qualificazione dati
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
2020-2022
Qualificazione indicatore
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 2022, the ratio of recycled organic waste to separately collected organic waste was 79.9% (Table 1 and Figure 1).
The trend has remained relatively stable since 2020. In 2022, the recycling rate was 79.9%, slightly lower than in 2021 (80.7%) and 2020 (81.1%) (Table 1 and Figure 1).
Dati
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 of the overall separate collection rate (65.2% in 2022) and the recycling rate (49.2%) for municipal waste highlights a significant gap between waste collection and material recovery. This suggests the need to focus on the quality of waste collection. For organic waste in particular, high collection quality is crucial to ensure the production of compost that meets regulatory requirements and can be marketed as a product. Furthermore, organic waste sent for recycling represents the most significant fraction of total recycled municipal waste, accounting for 41% (Table 1).