“Support from political decision makers”: a refrain that those who want to touch other levels of circular economy have been repeating for some time. Head grain president of Assoambiente, recalled this at the presentation of the report "Italy that Recycles 2023” prepared by his Association. He did so by commenting on a good dose of positive numbers for the country. And it's not a frequent thing.
LThe Italian recycling industry is a leader in Europe and is about to reach the material recovery objectives set for the decade 2025-2035 ahead of schedule. The industries, however, want to do even better. This is why they proposed a work gang that allows us to make another leap in quality. It would be a good reward by developing low impact industrial models.
“Having raw materials and energy available from the recycling of waste produced in our country constitutes a decisive economic factor,” he said Paolo Barberi, President of the Unicircular Section of Assoambiente.
The recycling of urban waste is at 51,4%, that of packaging at 72,8%, higher than the 65% quota set for 2025. However, we need to halve the 20% of waste that still ends up ino landfill. Italy is among the 9 virtuous countries; 18 (including France, Spain, Portugal and Sweden) are far from reaching the defined targets. But being in elite clubs doesn't intoxicate us, far from it
We ask for adequate support from political decision makers, explained Testa, "so that all the regulatory, legal and economic obstacles that hinder full development across the various supply chains are removed".
A winning industrial scheme
Assoambiente's operational scheme can only become successful if all the pieces that are not yet seen on the table fall into place. The green economy can also turn into a perverse limit if the foundations are precarious and the rules cumbersome. The government knows this and remains the privileged interlocutor. More or less like those territorial bodies that have projects for territorial microsystems and to which the Minister Raffaele Fitto size resources.
“The sector can act as an enabler of the green transition, capable of effectively intercepting both circularity and energy aspects” adds Testa. In practice, the recycling industries have marched forward, while politics has been at its worst with heads of government and ministers against everything that would have made the country grow. Giorgia Meloni he says he has erased those years, but on energy, new economy, climate, he cannot boast successes.
Assoambiente gives her an assist. In the recycling report there is “a Work Agenda 2024-2025” very similar to a programmatic manifesto. 10 points, among which the placement of recovered products on the markets, the reduced VAT for materials obtained from recycling, the rapid authorization process for new plants, the movement of waste outside Italy, a new role for Arera stands out. Everything can be shared and practicable, also because what purpose would the barricades serve? How much will politics, starting from the government, be encouraged to take all or part of those points into consideration? 2024 is upon us.
