Circular Economy for biowaste in Italy
Italy is one of the EU countries leading the separate
collection of MSW and specifically of organic waste.
Nowadays, in Italy, about 35 million of inhabitants
are involved in intensive collection schemes for biowaste
(foodwaste + greenwaste) diverting about 6.5 Mtons
of biowaste from disposal to recycling.
The biowaste accounts for 41.2% of
all MSW source segregated in Italy in 2016.
Hence over the last 25 years, an industrial sector
for biowaste recycling has developed and consolidated in Italy.

In the last 10 years, the number of recycling
facilities increased by 3-4% each year.
In 2017, there were more than 320 composting
or Anaerobic Digestion & Composting facilities,
reaching a total treatment capacity
of about 9 million tons.
Italy is an consistent example
of MSW management and shows that the recycling
of foodwaste and greenwaste is a binding
condition to reach the UE recycling set by the
Circular Economy Package approved in April 2018.
COMPOSTING
MATERIAL RECOVERY
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
ENERGY and MATERIAL RECOVERY
TREATMENT CAPACITY
5.4 million ton
COMBINED TREATMENT CAPACITY
3.3 million tons