Waste management: Italy’s industrial composting success

GORINCHEM, Netherlands, 27th November 2024 – Italy has transformed its approach to organic waste management, shifting from a heavy reliance on landfills to advanced composting and biogas production.

This journey, rooted in the 1997 Ronchi Decree, has driven municipalities to establish efficient waste collection systems and promote composting as a sustainable alternative. Today, with over 300 composting facilities across the country, Italy is at the forefront of Europe’s composting efforts, setting an example in reducing carbon emissions and repurposing organic waste.

Italy’s success showcases how investment and commitment to advanced composting infrastructure can meet environmental and economic goals, setting a good practice example for other countries. By transitioning from landfills to composting and biogas production, Italy demonstrates that a sustainable waste management model is within reach.

Italy’s composting system also supports the recycling of compostable plastics, including liners, bags and packaging. This capability allows for the integration of compostable bioplastics, such as TotalEnergies Corbion’s Luminy® PLA portfolio, which is designed to break down in industrial composting settings. This alignment with Italy’s waste management practices highlights the importance of bioplastics in supporting circularity and reducing traditional plastic waste.

A circular, closed loop system

By processing organic waste aerobically rather than letting it decompose in landfills, Italy’s composting system significantly reduces methane emissions – a greenhouse gas far more potent than CO2.

A 2022 report from Italy’s National Agency for New Technologies, Energy, and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) found that Italy’s composting efforts prevented over a million tons of CO2-equivalent emissions in a single year. The compost produced nourishes soils and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, creating a closed-loop system that benefits both agriculture and the environment.

This shift was further strengthened by Italy’s National Waste Management Plan, imposing strict targets for waste reduction and organic recovery. These initiatives have turned Italy into a composting powerhouse, with cities like Milan and Treviso achieving exemplary organic waste collection rates.

Italy’s composting infrastructure now goes beyond traditional composting methods, incorporating pre-digestion steps to capture biogas before converting the remaining material into compost. This two-phase process not only enables the production of biomethane, a renewable energy source, but also yields a high-quality, solid organic fertilizer. Compost from these facilities is easier to manage, store and market, aligning with Italy’s goals to enhance resource efficiency and environmental impact.

From landfill dumping to composting innovation

Across Europe, nearly 75% of bio-waste still ends up in landfills or is incinerated, missing a valuable opportunity for resource recovery, according to the Bio-based Industries Consortium. Italy’s example demonstrates that addressing this gap is not only achievable but transformative for the environment and the economy.

In effect since 1st January 2024, the Waste Framework Directive, which mandates that all EU municipalities establish separate biowaste collection or recycling systems. These systems can include door-to-door collection, centralized drop-off points or localized solutions such as community or home composting. By adhering to these requirements, municipalities not only reduce landfill dependency but also enhance organic waste recovery and recycling efforts.

By continuing to innovate and invest in sustainable infrastructure solutions, Italy shows us that it is possible to align environmental responsibility with economic progress; an approach that other countries can and should emulate to create a more circular and sustainable future.