Italy recycled 77.3% of all packaging placed on the market in 2025, reinforcing its position as one of Europe’s leading performers in packaging recycling.
According to the latest CONAI General Report, Italy recycled 10.97 million tonnes of packaging out of 14.2 million tonnes placed on the market. When energy recovery is included, 86.6% of used packaging was diverted from landfill.
Paper and cardboard remained the best-performing material with a recycling rate of 92.6%, followed by steel (82.2%), glass (over 82%), wood (69.7%), aluminium (69.5%) and plastics (50.5%). The plastics figure includes more than 44,000 tonnes of compostable bioplastics sent to industrial composting facilities.
The figures come as the European Union continues to debate the future of compostable packaging under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). Italy has consistently argued that compostable plastics can play an important role in applications such as organic waste collection and food-contact packaging, supported by its well-established industrial composting infrastructure.
The latest recycling figures are therefore likely to strengthen Italy’s argument that its circular economy model is delivering tangible results.
Personal Remarks
Thank goodness I’m not the one who has to sign off on that statement, because if you ask me, it’s complete nonsense.