The Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) provides an opportunity to make waste management more efficient and sustainable: our current challenge is not to miss this chance by getting caught up in delays and hesitations.
From investments for plant modernization to reforms to improve our ability to efficiently and sustainably manage waste and support the paradigm of the circular economy. These are some of the ambitious waste goals in the Recovery and Resilience Plan (Piano di ripresa e resilienza, PNRR), the Recovery Plan presented by the Prime Minister Mario Draghi, prepared to direct the country’s post-pandemic course.
Waste management will be one of the Plan’s key points, which Italy will have to grasp, not only to boost lasting and resilient economic recovery, but above all to take a step toward the future.
The Recovery Plan provides a chance to focus the Circular Economic and Sustainability – a chance the country can’t afford to miss.
The circular economy will be key to the recovery of Europe’s economy – not just Italy’s – and can only be achieved through more efficient waste management, to reduce waste and substantially increase recycling.
According to the PNNR, “the transition is occurring too slowly, mainly due to enormous difficulties in bureaucracy and authorization. These difficulties affect infrastructure in Italy in general, but in this context, they have slowed the full development of renewable energy and waste treatment plants.” The Recovery Plan will be “a unique opportunity to accelerate the transition outlined, overcoming barriers that have proven critical in the past.”
The government’s plan aims to “improve waste management and the circular economy, strengthening infrastructure for separate waste collection, modernizing existing and developing new waste treatment plants, reducing the gap between northern and central-southern regions (…) and creating highly innovative flagship projects for strategic supply chains, such as waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), the paper and cardboard industry, textiles, and the mechanical and chemical recycling of plastic.”
An ambitious and challenging program, which will make it possible not only to fill gaps in plant and management, but also to significantly improve average data nation-wide and achieve the goals set by new European and Italian regulations (percentage of waste from separate collection and percentage of waste in landfills, being reused or recovered, etc.).
This is why we cannot miss a valuable opportunity like the Recovery Plan to make waste management capabilities more efficient and sustainable, and above all to advance the paradigm of the Circular Economy more and more.
