ORGANIC MUNICIPAL WASTE RECYCLING RATE

    Panel 1
    Update date
    Authors

    Angelo Santini, Fabio Tatti

    Abstract
    Graph
    Abstract

    In 2023, the ratio between the amount of organic waste recycled and the amount separately collected reached 80.9%, showing an increase compared to both 2022 (79.9%) and 2021 (80.7%).

    Description

    Organic waste constitutes a key stream for achieving the municipal waste recovery and recycling targets set by current legislation. It is therefore essential, on the one hand, to capture increasing quantities through more efficient separate collection systems, with the aim of minimizing the amount sent to landfill. The indicator measures the ratio between the annual quantity of organic waste collected separately and the quantity effectively recycled, and is included in the core set of indicators identified by the National Strategy for the Circular Economy.

    Purpose

    Measuring progress in circularity policy thus enables the establishment of a foundation for identifying common long-term objectives and for defining new policy measures.

    Policy relevance and utility for users
    It is of national scope or applicable to environmental issues at the regional level but of national significance.
    It is able to describe the trend without necessarily providing an evaluation of it.
    It is simple and easy to interpret.
    It is sensitive to changes occurring in the environment and/or human activities
    It provides a representative overview of environmental conditions, environmental pressures, and societal responses.
    It provides a basis for international comparisons
    Analytical soundness
    Be theoretically well founded in technical and scientific terms
    Presents reliability and validity of measurement and data collection methods
    Temporal comparability
    Spatial comparability
    Measurability (data)
    Adequately documented and of known quality
    Updated at regular intervals in accordance with reliable procedures
    Readily available or made available at a reasonable cost/benefit ratio
    An “adequate” spatial coverage
    Main regulatory references and objectives

    For the organic waste fraction, the separate collection obligation has been in force at the European Union level since 31 December 2023 (Article 22 of Directive 2008/98/EC). In Italy, pursuant to Article 182-ter of Legislative Decree No. 152/2006, the obligation has been in force for all municipalities since 31 December 2021.

    According to paragraph 6 of the aforementioned Article 182-ter, the collection of the organic fraction also includes biodegradable and compostable packaging and materials, certified according to UNI EN 13432.

    The legislation on the collection of organic waste and biodegradable and compostable plastics is of particular importance as it:

    • significantly contributes to achieving the national target of at least 65% separate collection of municipal waste;
    • plays a key role in meeting the European municipal waste recycling targets (50% by 2020, 55% by 2025).
    DPSIR
    Response
    Indicator type
    Performance (B)
    References

    ISPRA - Rapporto Rifiuti Urbani (various editions)

    Data source

    ISPRA (Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research)

    Data collection frequency
    Yearly
    Data availabilty

    Collection data at the national level, by regional macro-area, region, province, and municipality are freely accessible and downloadable from the website www.catasto-rifiuti.isprambiente.it.

    Spatial coverage

    National

    Time coverage

    2020-2023

    Processing methodology

    The indicator is calculated by relating the total amount of recycled organic waste to the total amount of organic waste collected in Italy.

    Update frequency
    Year
    Data quality

    The indicator has national scope and enables international comparisons. Data on organic waste are collected using harmonized methodologies and are therefore comparable over time.

    Status
    Undefinable
    Trend
    Steady
    State assessment/description

    In 2023, the ratio between the amount of organic waste recycled and the amount separately collected was 80.9% (Table 1 and Figure 1).

    Trend assessment/description

    The trend since 2020 has remained essentially stable. In 2023, the percentage value was 80.9%, showing a slight increase compared to 79.9% in 2022 and 80.7% in 2021 (Table 1 and Figure 1).

    Comments

    A comparison between the overall municipal waste separate collection rate (66.6% in 2023) and the recycling rate (50.8%) reveals a non-negligible gap between collection and material recovery. This underscores the need to focus particularly on the quality of collection, which is especially critical for organic waste. High-quality collection is essential to ensure the production of compost that meets regulatory standards and can therefore be marketed as a product (Table 1).

    Moreover, organic waste sent for recycling represents the most influential waste stream in determining the municipal waste recycling rate, accounting for 41% of the total.

    Data
    File
    Headline

    Trend in the ratio between quantities of recycled organic waste and separately collected quantities, years 2020–2023

    Data source

    ISPRA

    Immagine
    Headline

    Figure 1: Trend in the ratio between quantities of recycled organic waste and quantities of separately collected organic waste

    Data source

    ISPRA

    Graph
    English