Italy's recycled-plastics chain warns of collapse as cheap virgin resin floods the market
EcoAmbiente Salerno has warned that the crisis in Italy's recycled plastics sector threatens the entire packaging recovery chain and the municipal separate-collection system. Recycled material is accumulating in plant yards as low-cost virgin plastic from Asian markets undercuts it, with Campania, Lazio, Puglia, Marche, Emilia-Romagna and Sardinia most exposed. Operators are calling on national institutions for incentives to make secondary raw material competitive.
A silent crisis in the recycling chain
The crisis hitting Italy's recycled plastics sector risks compromising the country's entire packaging recovery chain and, with it, the municipal separate-collection system, according to a warning from EcoAmbiente Salerno S.p.A. reported by Salernonotizie. The company said the situation, which it has been monitoring for some time, now requires urgent intervention starting from national institutions.
Italy remains among the strongest performers in Europe for plastic packaging recycling, with a recycling rate of 49.6%, Salernonotizie reported. The emergency affects the whole country but weighs particularly on certain regions. EcoAmbiente Salerno identified the most affected as Campania, Lazio, Puglia, Marche, Emilia-Romagna and Sardinia.
The alarm is coming from several directions. In recent days Unindustria Lazio also highlighted that the plastics emergency is threatening the stability of the entire recycling chain and of the urban waste collection service.
“Local authorities, sector operators and citizens continue to invest energy and resources in separate collection. Yet while efforts to improve environmental sustainability continue, a silent crisis is developing that risks compromising the entire plastic packaging recycling chain,” said Nicola Ciancio, president of EcoAmbiente Salerno S.p.A.
Cheap virgin resin undercuts secondary raw material
The causes are multiple. EcoAmbiente Salerno listed a contraction in demand for recycled plastic, competition from low-cost virgin plastic arriving from Asian markets, a shortage of plants, and permitting delays that are slowing the entry into service of new infrastructure.
The commercial effect is visible at plant level: recycled material is remaining in yards without finding an outlet on the market. Virgin plastic is being sold at particularly competitive prices, making the use of secondary raw material less economically attractive.
The funnel effect
“The real risk is a funnel effect,” Ciancio said. “If plants reach saturation they will no longer be able to accept further deliveries. That would put the entire separate-collection system under pressure, with inevitable repercussions for territories and communities.”
The consequences would be significant in both economic and environmental terms: accumulation of material, slower handling, higher operating costs and the need to transfer waste to plants located outside the region, which would generate additional transport-related emissions and further expense.
Proximity infrastructure and the policy ask
EcoAmbiente Salerno pointed to its own operations as evidence of what local capacity delivers. During the summer season just ended, the company said it guaranteed continuity and efficiency of service and kept the Casal Velino multi-material treatment plant fully operational through a period marked by a significant tourist presence along the Cilento coast. The plant now receives waste from 27 municipalities in the Cilento area. Direct delivery to the Casal Velino site cut heavy traffic on the SS18 state road between Vallo della Lucania and Eboli, avoiding roughly 1,200 heavy vehicle trips, with benefits in reduced atmospheric emissions, lower road congestion, contained logistics costs and improved road safety.
“The crisis hitting the plastics chain risks nullifying important results achieved in recent years,” Ciancio said, calling for incentive measures and support instruments capable of making the use of plastic derived from secondary raw material genuinely competitive.
Giovanni Coscia, president of EDA Salerno, said waste management cannot be separated from an efficient and sustainable recycling chain, and that the situation developing in the plastics segment must be addressed quickly and decisively by national institutions. He said cases such as the Casal Velino plant demonstrate the importance of proximity infrastructure in reducing the environmental impact of transport and guaranteeing efficient services to citizens, and called for support for the secondary raw materials market and a strengthening of the circular economy so that the efforts made by administrations, operators and citizens are not wasted.
