Bari recycling rate at 49.7% in 2026 falls short of EU goals

The Regional Waste Observatory of Puglia reports that in the first half of 2026 the city of Bari separated 49.69% of its municipal solid waste, leaving 50.31% unseparated. Monthly figures ranged from a low of 46.63% in March to a high of 52.8% in January, with a total of 86.3 million kg of waste processed (42.9 million kg separated, 43.4 million kg unseparated). Per‑capita generation averaged about 45 kg per month.

The municipality, together with the waste‑management firm Amiu Puglia, is expanding door‑to‑door collection for food‑service outlets, adding paper and cardboard bins, and trialling smart containers in the Madonnella district. A public‑awareness campaign titled “Se inquini l’ambiente, inquini casa tua” aims to curb illegal dumping of bulky items, which saw 2,271 reports (≈79 per day) in the last month. The free collection service recorded 3,243 scheduled pickups (≈105 per day) and 8,892 item drop‑offs at recycling centres.

Despite these efforts, the results remain well below European Union targets of 65% recycling by 2035 and 70% for packaging waste by 2030 (and a 55% overall target for 2025).