Italian Plastic Recycling Crisis Threatens Waste Collection

President of Corepla, Giorgio Quagliuolo, warned that Italy faces a serious plastic‑waste collection emergency. The crisis stems from a mix of factors: global demand for virgin plastic, an oversupply of mixed polyolefin waste that is difficult to separate, and higher costs caused by the Hormuz oil‑shipping blockage, which has increased demand for recycled polymers. Cheap Chinese recycled plastics further depress market prices, leaving Italian collection and sorting centres with large unsold stock. Quagliuolo noted that 45 recycling plants have closed across Europe and rising energy costs have pushed many facilities to critical levels. Without urgent, extraordinary measures—such as temporarily raising authorised processing volumes—the risk of a widespread interruption to separate‑waste collection in large parts of the country is concrete.

The issue is not confined to Sardinia but affects the entire Italian waste‑management system, raising concerns about environmental compliance and public health if collection services falter.