Treatment of municipal solid urban waste in Italy 2022, by method

Material recovery accounted for the largest share of municipal solid waste treatment in Italy in 2022, at 29 percent. On the other hand, around 18 percent of municipal waste collected in the Mediterranean country was sent to landfill for disposal, and another 18 percent was incinerated.  

Recycling in Italy

The recycling rate of municipal waste in Italy has been steadily increasing over the past decade, nearing 52 percent in 2021. This was one of the highest recycling rates of municipal waste in the EU, and slightly above the average. The EU set a target of a 50 percent recycling rate by 2020, which Italy has already surpassed.  

Landfills

Although recycling has increased in Italy, landfilling is still a common waste disposal method. The volume of waste sent to landfills in Italy has decreased significantly in recent years, falling from 11.7 million metric tons in 2012 to some 5.2 million metric tons by 2022. These reductions coincide with the number of municipal waste landfill sites in Italy declining over the years.