Plastics recycling grows in Italy

In 2012, the overall recovery of packaging in steel, aluminium, paper, wood, plastic and glass amounted to 75.3% of the amounts made available for consumption (+1.2% over 2011). Overall recycling, approximately half of which is handled by the Conai/Consortia system and half by independent operators, amounted to 65.6% of the amount introduced onto the market (+1% with respect to 2011). In spite of the recession, which has witnessed a decrease in consumption of packaging and a somewhat smaller decrease in recycling volumes, source-separated recycling volumes have actually increased (to 3.5 million tons, 1% more than in 2011). Approximately 80% of the recycling administered through municipal arrangements within the Anci-Conai agreement is handled by the consortia.
Forecasts for 2013 are in line with 2012 data: a further decrease in packaging introduced onto the market and an increase in urban source-separated waste collection and thus recycling flows handled by the consortium system, in spite of further decreases in volumes of urban wastes. This is the picture that was provided in Rome on 23 July in the pressroom of the Chamber of Deputies, on the occasion of the presentation by Conai president, Roberto De Sanctis, of the "Conai 2013 general program for the reduction and management of packaging and packaging waste". In attendance were Ermete Realacci, president of the Environment, Land and Public Works Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, and Edo Ronchi, president of the Foundation for Sustainable Development.
It bears mentioning, however, that in 2012 the plastics industry recorded a drop of 1.1% in amounts introduced onto the market. This trend is the result of a shrinkage in consumption especially of packaging for commercial and industrial uses (-2% in 2011) and of substantial stability in domestic consumption, which is significantly larger in terms of quantities (64% of the total introduced onto the market in 2012). In spite of the drop in quantities introduced onto the market, there has been a slight increase (+0.6% over 2011) of quantities recycled, for a total of 36.8%. Efforts by Corepla to increase the amounts of recyclable products from source-separated wasted collection continued in 2012, in spite of worsening material quality.
The effectiveness of a system of private operators is thus re-affirmed. This system continues to collect packaging waste throughout Italy regardless of the conditions of the packaging market and the quotations for recycled materials and regardless of whether legal recycling objectives have been exceeded. According to a study by Althesys in 2012, the net economic benefits to Italy of recycling administered by the Conai/Consortia system amounted to 1.6 billion euros.
The environmental contribution of the Conai/Consortia system in 2012 amounted to 367.6 million euros, and the payments made to the municipalities for the pickup of packaging by the public service amounted to 321.1 million euros (since the founding of Conai in 1997, over 2.6 billion euros have been paid to municipalities for the source-separated packaging waste collection service). Earnings from the rehabilitation of the materials amounted to 180 million euros, while the costs for recovery and recycling were approximately 157 million euros. Over 87% of the financial resources were paid to the municipalities for the "added costs" of the source-separated packaging waste collection and the subsequent recycling/recovery operations. Forecasts for 2013 see that these financial resources for municipalities will be greater than the overall proceeds of the system.