Abstract
The evidence of the impact of the mismanagement of plastic goods in the environment has captured the attention of scientists, policy makers and manufacturers. Urgent measures, regarding a combination of preventing plastic use and massively improving waste management, have been acclaimed by different stakeholders with the common goal to make a more resilient and competitive plastic industry. European Commission has pledged itself publishing the first EU-wide policy framework on plastics. The new recycling targets and calculation method put under pressure the current waste management system (WMS), characterized by fragmentation in responsibilities and underperforming cost-benefit balance. In addition, the public-private governance and the increasing number in waste consortia and platforms contribute to make the waste streams traceability challenging. The following study, resulting from a collaboration between the University of Bologna (UNIBO), the Emilia-Romagna Region (ERR), and the Regional Agency for Prevention, Environment and Energy (ARPAE), investigates the current panorama of plastic waste recycling system in ERR (Italy) with the aim to find out to what extent the current performance fulfils the future scenario established by the European Commission. The market of secondary plastics (SPs) has been investigated as well. The secondary resources, which are no longer waste, are not registered and monitored by official data collection scheme. Data extrapolated from official waste databases are integrated with results coming from individual questionnaire submitted to local recyclers. The identification of the main polymeric streams and, therefore, the exploitation of economic potential represent the preliminary actions to strategically plan an after-use plastic economy whose main goal is having all recyclable and/or recycled plastic packaging by 2030.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Considering the overall number of CORIPET members, only few producers are located in the Region while all the recyclers are located outside the regional boundaries.
Every Italian region should be able to manage all the waste generated within its borders.
It includes both material and energy recovery.
Abbreviations
- ANCI:
-
National Municipalities Association
- ARPAE:
-
Regional Agency for Prevention, Environment and Energy
- AT:
-
Austria
- C&D:
-
Construction and demolition
- CC:
-
Centri Comprensoriali
- CN:
-
China
- CONAI:
-
Post-consumer packaging waste consortium
- COREPLA:
-
National Consortium for the collection and recycling of plastic packages
- CSS:
-
Centri di Selezione e Smistamento – selection and sorting centres
- CZ:
-
Czech Republic
- DE:
-
Germany
- ELVs:
-
End-of-life vehicles
- EoL:
-
End-of-life
- EPR:
-
Extended producer responsibility
- ERR:
-
Emilia-Romagna Region
- ES:
-
Spain
- EWC:
-
European Waste code
- FR:
-
France
- HD-PE:
-
High density polyethylene
- HR:
-
Croatia
- HU:
-
Hungary
- ID:
-
Indonesia
- IN:
-
India
- LD-PE:
-
Low-density polyethylene
- LV:
-
Latvia
- MSW:
-
Municipal solid waste
- MUD:
-
Modello Unico di Dichiarazione Ambientale
- MY:
-
Malaysia
- NL:
-
Netherlands
- ORSo:
-
Osservatorio Rifiuti Sovraregionale
- PCPPW:
-
Post-consumer plastic packaging waste
- PEPS:
-
Platform for PS-based waste
- PET:
-
Polyethylene terephthalate
- PIA:
-
Platform for general industrial packaging waste
- PIFU:
-
Platform for drums and tanks
- PL:
-
Poland
- PO:
-
Polyolefin
- PPW:
-
Plastic packaging waste
- PS:
-
Polystyrene
- RO:
-
Romania
- SI:
-
Slovenia
- SK:
-
Slovakia
- SPs:
-
Secondary plastics
- SUPs:
-
Single-use plastics
- SW:
-
Special waste
- TH:
-
Thailand
- TR:
-
Turkey
- UNIBO:
-
University of Bologna
- VN:
-
Vietnam
- WFD:
-
Waste Framework directive
- WMS:
-
Waste management system
References
ARPAE (2018) La gestione dei rifiuti in Emilia-Romagna. Report 2018. Available online: https://www.arpae.it/dettaglio_documento.asp?id=7456&idlivello=1443. Accessed 10 May 2019
Bartl A (2014) Ways and entanglements of the waste hierarchy. Waste Manag. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2013.10.016
CONAI (2017) Packaging recovery in Italy: the CONAI system. Available online: http://www.conai.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/The-CONAI-System_-2017.pdf. Accessed Jan 2020
Dahlbo H, Poliakova V, Mylläri V, Sahimaa O, Anderson R (2018) Recycling potential of post-consumer plastic packaging waste in Finland. Waste Manag. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2017.10.033
Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017) The new plastics economy—catalysing action. The New Plastics Economy, Catalysing Action https://doi.org/10.1103/Physrevb.74.035409
European Commission (2018a) Report on the implementation of the circular economy action plan. Available online: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/report_implementation_circular_economy_action_plan.pdf. Accessed 10 May 2019
European Commission (2018b) Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy Available online: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b02368. Accessed 10 May 2019
European Commission (2018c) Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the regions on the implementation of EU waste legislation, including the early warning report for member states at risk of missing the 2020 preparation for re-use/recycling target on municipal waste. Available on line: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2018:656:FIN. Accessed 10 May 2019
European Parliament and of the Council (2008) Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on waste and repealing certain directives. Available online: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32008L0098. Accessed 10 May 2019
European Parliament and of the Council (2011) 2011/753/EU Commission Decision of 18 November 2011 establishing rules and calculation methods for verifying compliance with the targets set in Article 11(2) of Available online: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32011D0753. Accessed 10 May 2019
European Parliament and of the Council (2018) Directive (EU) 2018/851 of the European Parliament and of the Council Of 30 May 2018 Amending Directive 2008/98/EC On Waste. Available online: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2018.150.01.0109.01.ENG. Accessed 10 May 2019
European Parliament and of the Council of European Union (2018a) Directive (EU) 2018/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 amending Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste. Available online: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32018L0852&from=EN. Accessed 10 May 2019
European Parliament and of the Council of European Union (2018b) Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment COM(2018) 340 final. Available online: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A52018PC0340. Accessed 10 May 2019
Foschi E, Bonoli A (2019) The commitment of packaging industry in the framework of the European strategy for plastics in a circular economy. Adm Sci. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci9010018
Hahladakis JN, Velis CA, Weber R, Iacovidou E, Purnell P (2018a) An overview of chemical additives present in plastics: migration, release, fate and environmental impact during their use, disposal and recycling. J Hazard Mater. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2017.10.014
Hahladakis JN, Purnell P, Iacovidou E, Velis CA, Atseyinku M (2018b) Post-consumer plastic packaging waste in England: assessing the yield of multiple collection-recycling schemes. Waste Manag. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2018.02.009
Halden RU (2010) Plastics and health risks. Annu Rev Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.012809.103714
ISPRA (2018) Rapporto rifiuti urbani. Edizione 2018. Available online: http://www.isprambiente.gov.it/it/pubblicazioni/rapporti/rapporto-rifiuti-urbani-edizione-2018. Accessed 10 May 2019
Italian Government (2006) Legislative Decree no.152/06 “Norme in materia ambientale”. Avaliable online: http://www.camera.it/parlam/leggi/deleghe/06152dl.htm. Accessed Oct 2019
Jambeck JR, Geyer R, Wilcox C, Siegler TR, Perryman M, Andrady A, Law KL (2015) Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1260352
Michaud JC, Farrant L, Jan O, Kjær B, Bakas I (2011) Environmental benefits of recycling - 2010 update. Waste Resour Action Program WRAP. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psym.2015.11.002
Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare (2019) Linee guida per i Sistemi autonomi di gestione degli imballaggi. Available online: https://www.minambiente.it/sites/default/files/archivio/allegati/rifiuti/LineeGuidaSistemiAutonomi.pdf. Accessed 10 May 2019
OECD (2001) Extended producer responsibility: a guidance manual for governments, OECD, March, Paris
OECD (2018) Improving plastics management: trends, policy responses, and the role of international cooperation and trade. Prepared by the OECD for the G7 environment, Energy and Oceans Minister
Paletta A, Leal Filho W, Balogun AL, Foschi E, Bonoli A (2019) Barriers and challenges to plastics valorisation in the context of a circular economy: case studies from Italy. J Clean Prod. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118149
Pivnenko K, Eriksen MK, Martín-Fernández JA, Eriksson E, Astrup TF (2016) Recycling of plastic waste: presence of phthalates in plastics from households and industry. Waste Manag. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2016.05.014
PlasticsEurope (2019) Plastics – the Facts 2019, Available online: https://www.plasticseurope.org/application/files/9715/7129/9584/FINAL_web_version_Plastics_the_facts2019_14102019.pdf. Accessed 15 December 2018
Rochman CM (2016) Strategies for reducing ocean plastic debris should be diverse and guided by science. Environ Res Lett. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/4/041001
Salhofer S, Obersteiner G, Schneider F, Lebersorger S (2008) Potentials for the prevention of municipal solid waste. Waste Manag. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2007.02.026
Thompson RC (2015) Microplastics in the marine environment: sources, consequences and solutions. Mar Anthropogenic Litt. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16510-3_7
UNIONCAMERE (2019) Rapporto 2019 sull’economia regionale. Available online: https://www.ucer.camcom.it/studi-ricerche/analisi/rapporto-economia-regionale/pdf/2015/2019-rapporto-economia-regionale.pdf. Accessed Jan 2020
Watkins E, Gionfra S, Schweitzer JP, Pantzar M, Janssens C, ten Brink P (2017) EPR in the EU plastics strategy and the circular economy: A focus on plastic packaging.
Acknowledgments
The investigation has been carried out within the action plan of the Interreg Europe project named TRIS – Transition region towards industrial symbiosis. A special thank is due to Manuela Ratta (RER) for giving us the possibility to investigate the regional waste management system. Authors would also thank Maria Concetta Peronace and Annamaria Benedetti (ARPAE) for providing data and useful explanation about plastic waste generation and management in Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy). Finally, authors would like to thank COREPLA for giving us data about the management of municipal plastic waste.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Foschi, E., D’Addato, F. & Bonoli, A. Plastic waste management: a comprehensive analysis of the current status to set up an after-use plastic strategy in Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy). Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 24328–24341 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08155-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08155-y