Trend of municipal waste generation in Italy 2010-2020

The total amount of municipal waste generated in Italy decreased from 32.4 million tons in 2010 to roughly 30 million tons in 2020.  

Waste treatments

Waste management policies and processes have also changed over the period considered. The volume of waste sent to landfills for disposal decreased. Conversely, the amount of municipal waste intended for recycling as well as the volume subjected to biological treatment increased. In 2018, landfills were deployed to get rid of 22 percent of the total municipal waste generated, whereas biological treatment and incineration were used to dispose of 21 and 18 percent of the total quantity of waste, respectively. Exports accounted for one percent of waste disposal.

Recycling and recovery

Material recovery is the most used treatment, since it was used to treat 28 percent of the total waste generated in 2018. It is not a coincidence that the recycling rate of municipal waste increased from 29.7 percent in 2010 to 47.7 percent in 2017.