Descrizione 1
Costanza Mariotta
In 2022, a year marked by a delicate international geopolitical context, the production of special waste generated by the national production system (industrial, commercial, artisanal, and service activities, as well as waste treatment and environmental remediation) recorded a decline compared to 2021. This trend was similar to that observed for urban waste, with total production amounting to 161.4 million tons (-2.1%, equivalent to 3.4 million tons). Non-hazardous waste, which accounts for 93.8% of total waste produced, decreased by 2.7 million tons (-1.8%), while hazardous waste dropped by almost 680,000 tons (-6.4%).
The construction sector continued to show an increase, although more contained than in the previous year, due to government incentives for building renovation aimed at improving energy efficiency, along with construction activities related to infrastructure, public works, residential, and commercial buildings.
The indicator measures the total amount of special waste generated in Italy. The information is provided disaggregated by the following waste types: hazardous special waste, non-hazardous special waste, and construction and demolition waste. Additionally, the breakdown by economic activity is presented.
To measure the total amount of special waste produced and assess the impact of economic activities, including waste treatment and environmental remediation, supporting decision-making processes and environmental policies in adopting relevant strategies.
Directive 2008/98/EC
Legislative Decree 152/2006 and subsequent amendments
Legislative Decree 205/2010
Ministerial Decree of October 7, 2013 - Adoption and approval of the National Waste Prevention Program (Official Gazette October 18, 2013, No. 245). The National Waste Prevention Program (Ministerial Decree of October 7, 2013) set the following prevention targets for 2020, compared to 2010 levels:
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10% reduction in hazardous special waste production per unit of GDP
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5% reduction in non-hazardous special waste production per unit of GDP. Based on new data on special waste production, this target may be revised.
Law 221 of December 28, 2015
Decision 2000/532/EC
Legislative Decree No. 4/2008
Special waste is identified in Article 184, paragraph 3 of Legislative Decree 152/2006 and subsequent amendments. The decree reiterates the principles of the European waste hierarchy, which prioritizes:
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Prevention
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Preparation for reuse
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Recycling
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Other recovery, such as energy recovery
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Disposal
Descrizione 2
ANPA - ONR, 1999, Il sistema ANPA di contabilità dei rifiuti – Prime elaborazioni dei dati
ANPA - ONR, 2001, Primo rapporto sui rifiuti speciali
ANPA - ONR, Rapporto rifiuti, anni 2001-2007
ISPRA, Rapporto Rifiuti 2008
ISPRA, Rapporto Rifiuti Speciali, Edizioni 2009-2024
Data on the generation of special waste is available at the national, regional, and provincial levels for the period 1997–2005, and at the national and regional levels for the years 2007 to 2009. Data for the year 2006 are only available in aggregated form at the national level, due to regulatory changes introduced by Legislative Decree No. 152/2006. These changes led to a significant reduction in data coverage within the MUD (Environmental Declaration Form) databases for that year. As a result, it was necessary to adopt estimation procedures applicable solely at the national scale.
Specifically, Article 189, paragraph 3, of Legislative Decree No. 152/2006 initially exempted all producers of non-hazardous waste from the reporting obligation, which had a substantial impact on the declarations submitted in 2007 for the 2006 reference year. With the exception of fully exempt sectors, the reporting requirement was partially reinstated by Legislative Decree No. 4/2008, limited to non-hazardous waste producers with more than 10 employees. In order to estimate the quantities of non-hazardous special waste generated in 2006—given the insufficient coverage of the MUD databases for this waste category—specific estimation methodologies were employed. These methodologies were based on the determination of sector-specific waste generation coefficients for various industrial sectors, derived from sectoral studies conducted by ISPRA.
Regarding hazardous waste, it should also be noted that additional exemptions from the MUD reporting obligation were introduced for specific categories under Article 69, paragraph 1, of Law No. 221 of 28 December 2015, entitled "Provisions on environmental matters to promote green economy measures and limit excessive use of natural resources." In light of these exemptions, starting from data year 2015, hazardous waste generation has been estimated by integrating the information from the MUD database with specific estimates for the agricultural sector only.
Due to the current data acquisition mechanism, information relating to a given year cannot be made available before the end of the following calendar year.
Qualificazione dati
The data are derived from the annual Environmental Declaration Forms (MUD) submitted by entities subject to mandatory reporting under current legislation, and are supplemented with estimates produced by ISPRA, which are not publicly accessible.
Data on the generation of special waste, both hazardous and non-hazardous, disaggregated by region, economic activity, and according to the chapters of the European Waste Catalogue (EWC), are available for consultation on the Catasto Rifiuti website at: www.catasto-rifiuti.isprambiente.it.
National
1997-2022
Qualificazione indicatore
The indicator measures the total amount of special waste generated in Italy. The data is disaggregated by waste type: hazardous special waste, non-hazardous special waste, and construction and demolition waste. Additionally, the breakdown by economic activity is presented. Production data for non-hazardous special waste for 2006 and, in part, for 2007-2020 were integrated using estimation methodologies, as were hazardous special waste data for 2015-2022.
The primary data source consists of environmental declarations (MUD) submitted annually by obligated entities under Article 189 of Legislative Decree 152/2006. Information from the MUD database has been supplemented with estimated quantities using specific methodologies for certain sectors that are fully or partially exempt from reporting requirements under current regulations. Some sector studies have been updated to reflect legislative changes that reclassify some materials previously considered waste as by-products. For this reason, estimates for the food and beverage industry have been updated starting from 2011.
In 2022, the national production of waste generated by economic, industrial, and manufacturing activities declined by 2.1%, corresponding to over 3.4 million tons.
Italy has historical data on special waste production from 1997 to 2022, showing a significant upward trend. Specifically, there was a marked increase between 1997-2006, followed by moderate growth until 2008. Between 2008 and 2009, due to the severe economic and financial crisis, special waste production declined by 5.7%. In 2010, it rebounded (+1.8%). From 2011 to 2017, production fluctuated: between 2011-2013, it fell by 4.3%, mainly due to reduced construction and demolition waste, then rose again between 2013-2014 (+4%), aligning with 2011 levels. Growth continued in 2014-2015 (+2.4%) and 2015-2016 (+2%). Special waste production increased by 16.3% from 2015-2019, in line with socioeconomic trends. In 2020, production fell by 4.5% due to the pandemic, rebounded in 2021 (+12.2%), but declined again in 2022 (-2.1%).
Dati
Table 1: Special waste generation
ISPRA
a Partially estimated data;
b Estimated data;
c Includes quantities of special waste from municipal waste treatment.
Table 2: Special waste generation by economic activity (NACE sector)
ISPRA
a Partially estimated data; b includes quantities of non-hazardous special waste from municipal waste treatment
RS = Special waste;
RSP = Hazardous special waste;
RSNP = Non-hazardous special waste.
Figure 1: Total special waste generation
ISPRA
In 2022, the total amount of waste generated by the national production system (including industrial, commercial, artisanal, and service activities, as well as waste treatment and environmental remediation operations) recorded a decline compared to 2021, mirroring the trend observed for municipal waste. The total amounted to 161.4 million tonnes, marking a 2.1% decrease (equivalent to over 3.4 million tonnes). Non-hazardous waste, which accounts for 93.8% of total waste generated, decreased by 2.7 million tonnes (-1.8%), while hazardous waste declined by nearly 680 thousand tonnes (-6.4%).
The construction sector continued to exhibit growth, although at a slower pace than in the previous year. This trend is linked to government incentives aimed at building renovations focused on energy efficiency improvements, in addition to ongoing construction activities related to infrastructure, public works, and residential and commercial buildings.
An analysis of waste generation by economic activity, based on the ATECO 2007 classification, shows that the construction and demolition sector (ATECO codes 41 to 43) contributed the largest share to the total special waste generation. This sector generated approximately 80.8 million tonnes—including waste from construction and demolition operations, as well as other associated waste types such as packaging waste, used oils, etc.—accounting for 50% of the total. Waste treatment and environmental remediation activities (ATECO 38 and 39) contributed 22.8% (36.8 million tonnes), while manufacturing activities (ATECO codes 10 to 33) accounted for 17.5% (approximately 28.3 million tonnes). The remaining economic sectors contributed 9.7% (around 15.6 million tonnes) of the total special waste generated (Table 2).