Italy is confirmed at the forefront in the recycling of compostable bioplastics. The new 2024 management report presented by the Biorepack Consortium photographs a country that has made separate collection a concrete pillar of the ecological transition. The numbers are clear: the recycling rate of bioplasty packaging reached 57.8%, exceeding the European target for 2025 by eight percentage points, set at 50%, and already beyond the 55%threshold required by 2030.
To grow it is not only efficiency, but also the extension of the service. 85% of the Italian population are now reached by compostable bioplastics collection and treatment systems, with a leap of 11 percentage points in just one year. The strongest push comes from the South, where regions like Calabria and Puglia touch full coverage. Calabria, in particular, recorded an impressive increase: +76 percentage points in just twelve months.
The collection of compostable bioplastic packaging is today one of the silent engines of the national waste management strategy. Not only does it allow to sustain an important fraction of the domestic domestic in a sustainable way, but returns useful material to the earth in the form of compost, contributing to the regeneration of the soil and the reduction of the use of chemical fertilizers.
However, the challenge is not yet won. To compromise the full recovery of compostable materials is the presence, in the organic fraction, of materials not suitable as conventional plastics and impurities. The consequence? Double damage: the amount of compost can be obtained and there is a risk of eliminating correctly compostable materials.
For this reason, Biorepack is focusing more and more on training and communication, promoting greater awareness of what to confer and how. At the same time, the Consortium has started studies with universities and research bodies to improve the efficiency of the plants and refine the treatment techniques, both aerobic and anaerobic.
Among the ongoing projects include analysis on the bigenic carbon content in compostable bags, methods for detecting the presence of non -biodegradable polymers in the materials on the market and assessments on the impact of compost from bioplastic on the fertility of soils.
Another front is the economic one: in 2024, Biorepack recognized 12.7 million euros to the municipalities and entities that manage the collection, to cover the collection and treatment costs. A precious resource, especially for the smaller territories or in the infrastructure adjustment phase.
Italy, first in Europe with a consortium dedicated to the organic recycling of bioplastic, thus applies to become a model for the integrated management of compostable waste. The success achieved in a few years shows that when investing on the net, training and innovation, the South can also be the towing. The road is traced: transform the refusal into a resource, close the cycle of materials and grow, together, environment and economy.
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