Material recovery accounted for the largest share of municipal solid waste treatment in Italy in 2022, at ** percent. On the other hand, around ** percent of municipal waste collected in the Mediterranean country was sent to landfill for disposal, and another ** percent was incinerated.
Recycling in Italy
The recycling rate of municipal waste in Italy has been steadily increasing over the past decade, surpassing ** percent in 2022. 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 ** percent recycling rate of municipal waste by 2025, which Italy has almost reached.
Landfills in Italy
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 **** million metric tons in 2012 to some *** million metric tons by 2023. These reductions coincide with the number of municipal waste landfill sites in Italy declining over the years.
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Sistema Nazionale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente. (December 18, 2024). Distribution of municipal solid waste treated in Italy in 2023, by method [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 22, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/682944/management-of-solid-urban-waste-in-italy-by-treatment/
Sistema Nazionale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente. "Distribution of municipal solid waste treated in Italy in 2023, by method." Chart. December 18, 2024. Statista. Accessed July 22, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/682944/management-of-solid-urban-waste-in-italy-by-treatment/
Sistema Nazionale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente. (2024). Distribution of municipal solid waste treated in Italy in 2023, by method. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 22, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/682944/management-of-solid-urban-waste-in-italy-by-treatment/
Sistema Nazionale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente. "Distribution of Municipal Solid Waste Treated in Italy in 2023, by Method." Statista, Statista Inc., 18 Dec 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/682944/management-of-solid-urban-waste-in-italy-by-treatment/
Sistema Nazionale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente, Distribution of municipal solid waste treated in Italy in 2023, by method Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/682944/management-of-solid-urban-waste-in-italy-by-treatment/ (last visited July 22, 2025)
Distribution of municipal solid waste treated in Italy in 2023, by method [Graph], Sistema Nazionale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente, December 18, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/682944/management-of-solid-urban-waste-in-italy-by-treatment/
