MILAN (ITALPRESS) – An increase in packaging in separate municipal waste collections is expected again this year in Italy for the end-of-year holiday season. Initial forecasts from CONAI authorize expectations of an increase in end-of-life packaging streams straddling the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025: locally, it is estimated that increases could be between 7 percent and 10 percent for plastic and glass packaging, with peaks that could touch 15 percent for paper.”The first comparison that the Consortium has made on a sample basis between data from past years and new numbers from operators in some Italian cities leads us to make this kind of forecast,” says CONAI Deputy Director General Fabio Costarella. “The national economy is still going through a delicate phase, which in many sectors has seen a contraction in consumption: it is difficult to predict whether the effects of Christmas on separate collections will be similar to those of 2022, on the rise, or to the slightly more modest ones of 2023. But it is reasonable to expect increasing volumes, as consumption will inevitably increase between December and January. “As every year, for paper and cardboard it will mainly be boxes and gift wrap, but also envelopes mailed or delivered in person. For plastic, film and wrappers. As for glass, on the other hand, mainly wine or liquor bottles. “In many provinces, the percentages could be even higher than our forecasts,” comments Fabio Costarella, “considering that in recent years the pandemic, the energy crisis and the consumption crisis have made forecasts more difficult than pre-2020. The numbers will have to be confirmed next year on balance, but attention to the proper disposal of end-of-life packs in separate collection remains essential.We are talking about flows that the country can safely manage if, between December and January, citizens are careful to properly separate waste. “The important thing, then, is to avoid mistakes that compromise the quality of separate collections.Speaking of paper, wrapping paper is not problematic. “The paper with which gifts are wrapped should be sorted and conferred with paper and cardboard-it is perfectly recyclable, as are the outer packs of pandoro and panettone,” Costarella explains.Receipts that you don’t want to keep, on the other hand, should be thrown in the undifferentiated bin. “Unless the directions on the back of the receipt are different, it is chemical paper, which is not recyclable. “Beware also of wax paper and baking paper when cooking. “Unless it is explicitly stated that they are recyclable, they cannot be delivered with the paper. “Christmas tree decorations do not go in the glass collection. “It is not packaging glass: it would pollute the recycling collection,” Fabio Costarella reveals. “Borosilicate glass, i.e., the glass in pyrex dishes suitable for baking, and ceramics should not be disposed of with glass either. “If crystal glasses break, “they should be thrown in the undifferentiated garbage. Crystal contains lead, and a few shards of crystal compromise large amounts of recyclable glass. “Instead, all the wooden boxes in which liquor and wine bottles are given away should be taken to the recycling island,” Costarella concludes.As for plastic, “broken toys or other items should be taken to the recycling island or conferred with the non-recyclable.””All packaging should be emptied of its contents before it is placed in separate collection,” Costarella recommends, “and flexible packaging should be crushed so that it occupies less volume. “Covering labels should be removed from their bottles or flasks,” he adds, “and both the label and the bottle or flask should then be placed in separate collection. This is an aid to recyclers to better manage packaging as it is prepared for recovery and recycling. “With more than 75 percent of packaging recycled, Italy is already a leader in Europe in this field of the circular economy,” concludes Fabio Costarella, “but to maintain and improve this result, a collective effort is essential, even during the Christmas period. Differentiating waste correctly means enhancing resources, promoting sustainability and strengthening the virtuous model that our country represents today.”-photo Conai press office-(ITALPRESS).
