Recycling rate of plastic packaging waste in Italy 2013-2022
The recycling rate of plastic packaging in Italy stood at 49 percent in 2022, after peaking at 56 percent two years earlier. The recycling rate was calculated by the source as the share of material recycled out of the total amount of plastic packaging released for consumption.
Plastic packaging recycling rates in the EU
Italy's plastic packaging recycling rate is above the European Union average, which stood at approximately 40 percent in recent years. Compared to the EU average, Italy is closer to the recycling rate targets for plastic packaging in the EU, set at 50 percent for 2030.
Energy recovery from plastic packaging waste
Waste can also be incinerated to generate energy in the form of electricity and heat. The volume of plastic packaging collected for energy recovery in Italy amounted to 934,000 metric tons in 2022. This figure was approximately 200,000 metric tons larger than the amount of plastic packaging waste recycled in Italy by COREPLA (the National Consortium for the Collection and Recycling of Plastic packages) that year.
