Italian Municipalities Recognized by Legambiente for Recycling Excellence

Legambiente presented its annual “Comuni Ricicloni” awards, honoring Italian municipalities that excel in aluminium packaging recycling and overall waste management. The Consorzio Nazionale Imballaggi Alluminio (Cial) highlighted Polignano a Mare in Bari for achieving a per‑capita aluminium collection of 1.1 kg in 2025, well above the national average.

The ceremony also recognized Siderno in Calabria as the first “Rifiuti Free” town with more than 15,000 inhabitants, noting an 84 % separation rate and a drop of mixed waste to under 75 kg per resident. Taormina received the “Comune Riciclone per il Sud” prize, joining only two other cities chosen as regional models, after its recycling rate rose to 84.33 % by June 2026.

Overall, the number of “Rifiuti Free” municipalities rose to 675 nationwide, with the north accounting for 60 % of the total, the south and islands 32.8 %, and the centre 6.8 %. The award underscores the growing impact of circular‑economy policies across Italy’s local governments.