Special waste, production drops in Italy. Construction and demolition at the top
This is what emerges from the 'Special Waste Report' produced by Ispra
3' min read
3' min read
Special waste production in Italy is falling. The comparison between 2022 and 2021 shows a - 2.1 per cent or 3.4 million tonnes of waste in the last year. All the fault of the energy crisis and the conflict in Ukraine "which have negatively affected the Italian economy".
The data emerge from the latest Special Waste Report, produced by Ispra and now in its twenty-third edition.
Construction and demolition at the summit
.In 2022, commercial industrial, craft, service, waste treatment and environmental remediation activities generated a total of 161.4 million tonnes of special waste, compared to 164.8 million tonnes in the previous year. The document points out that, once again, it is the construction and demolition sector "with almost 80.8 million tonnes" that has the highest total production of special waste, accounting for 50 per cent of the overall production. "Waste treatment and remediation activities," the report emphasises, "contribute 22.8% with 36.8 million tonnes, while a percentage of 17.5% is accounted for by manufacturing activities taken as a whole, about 28.3 million tonnes. Not only that: 'Other economic activities contribute 9.7 per cent, almost 15.6 million tonnes, to the production of special waste'.
Volumes drop
.The study shows that non-hazardous waste, "accounting for 93.8% of the total", fell by 2.7 million tonnes (-1.8%) and hazardous waste followed the same trend, decreasing by almost 680 thousand tonnes (- 6.4%). The overall figure sees special non-hazardous waste amounting to 151.4 million tonnes and hazardous waste to almost 10 million tonnes.In this context, the manufacturing sector accounts for the largest share of hazardous waste production at 37.3%, corresponding to 3.7 million tonnes.
More special waste in the north
.The distribution in the national picture is significant, with the largest quantities in the north. "The north of Italy shows the greatest production of special waste, with almost 92.7 million tonnes," the report points out. Lombardy leads the way with 35.3 million tonnes, while the centre stands at 28.1 million with Lazio as the leader producing almost 11.2 million tonnes of special waste. In the South, the production value is 40.6 million tonnes. Material recovery constitutes the predominant share of special waste management with 72.2% (127.6 million tonnes), while disposal operations account for 14.9%'.There is another aspect, and it concerns landfill disposal, which involves approximately 8.9 million tonnes of waste, or 5% of the total managed. There is also the most difficult waste to manage: this is asbestos, which is worth 243 thousand tonnes, a figure that is down by 28.3% compared to 2021. The production of hazardous medical waste is also decreasing, with a decrease of more than 3% compared to 2021.
The importance of recycling
.No less important is the aspect of waste recycling. In the case of end-of-life vehicles, just to give an example, 'reuse and recycling totals 86%'. The tonnes of end-of-life tyres managed in Italy are about 520 thousand, plus 84 thousand tonnes that are exported. The figure for demolition and construction waste is also significant, with a recycling percentage of 79.8%. Then there is sludge from the purification of urban waste water, which 'shows a decrease of just over 40 thousand tonnes compared to 2021'.
