The amount of plastics recycled in Italy in 1999 increased 7.6% against 1998 and sales from plastics recycling rose by 4.6%, according to a report by Unionplast (Via Petitti, 16, 1-20149 Milano; www.unionplast.org), the Italian plastics converters industry association. The number of firms and employees engaged in recycling increased, due mainly to legislative measures in favour of small and medium-sized firms. As a result, processing capacities increased.

The share of imports – for the most part production scraps from producers, converters and industrial consumers – decreased further to 29%, due to a lower inflow of reclaimed plastics wastes from Germany and France. Pre-consumer plastics wastes recycled in Italy totalled 540,300 t in 1999 (+14%), while post-consumer wastes totalled 280,400 t, a decline of 3%. End-of-life packaging and agricultural wastes accounted for 67% and 24% of post-consumer wastes respectively.

The leading thermoplastics – PE, PP, PVC, PET, PS/EPS – accounted for 92% of recycling volume. PS/EPS (+27%), HDPE (+14%) and PET (+9%) recorded the highest increases. PE led the list in absolute terms, with 345,000 t recycled. PP grew by 16,000 t to 215,200 t, in line with the overall average. The stability of recycled PVC at 85,000 t, down 10,000 t/y against 1996-97, and the decline against 1998 of volumes from the post-consumer circuit demonstrate that PVC is being used decreasingly in packaging and increasingly in medium- or long-life goods, or as a component of complex systems. The volume of polyamide recycled grew by 7,000 t (+28%), polyurethane by 2,000 t (+57%).