The rate of recycling of paper and cardboard packaging in Italy has reached the European target of the85%, set for the 2035. In detail, last year the 600 recycling plants in Italy produced 6,8 million tons of waste paper, increasing production by 3,2%. of raw materials compared to 2019. This is what emerges from the Unirima 2021 Report on the Circular Economy, presented today in Rome by the director general of the National Union of Recovery and Recycling Maceri, Francesco Sicilia, in the presence of the undersecretary of the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Vannia Gava.
The sector involves specialized small and medium enterprises, for an aggregate production value of approx 4 billion e 20.000 employees. The total collection of paper and cardboard in Italy, which takes place through domestic and industrial channels, is equal to approx 7 million tons. Of these, 4,96 million tonnes were reused in the domestic market and the remaining 1,81 million tonnes were exported.
In 2020, the waste paper market was affected by the pandemic crisis, which led to a drop in production quantities of 4,1%. The supply chain was supported by the production of packaging deriving from the boom in e-commerce and delivery, which marked an increase of 45% compared to the previous year.
According to Unirima, "certain regulatory aspects impeding the development of the waste recovery and recycling sector still need to be clarified", in particular the fact that the Tari “it is still unrelated to the amount of waste produced and the effective service provided and produces distorted effects on many cities. Unirima asks to guarantee complete tax relief for the economic activities that entrust the management of waste to the market".
The PNRR envisages a total of 58,47 billion euros for the implementation of initiatives in the context of the "Green Revolution and the ecological transition", which, according to the president of Unirima, Giuliano Tarallo, "lays the structural conditions for making the sector of the recovery and recycling of materials the fulcrum of a new circular industrial season. To unleash the enormous potential of the green economy, our country will soon find itself faced with the challenges of guaranteeing market competitiveness and the rapid implementation of investment projects, in particular for the modernization of existing plants".
