Waste management is a problem that generates more and more concern among citizens and that fuels a fervent political and social debate, on which Massimiliano Corsano, commander of the ecological operational unit of Milan, also expressed himself.
On the ban on the import of low-quality recycled paper decided by China, he said: “China on average collected about 7 million tons a year of this waste from all over the world, not just from Italy. The Italian share of that type of waste naturally went to China for years, as an authorized outlet, but now remains on our market. Essentially destined for the incinerator.
So the cost of transfer to waste-to-energy plants has increased enormously, because the input demand has increased enormously but the plants cannot receive it”.
Increased demand creates a non-competitive market due to rising prices and illegal activities
For Massimiliano Corsano, the picture is extremely clear, as well as problematic: “Until shortly before the closure of the Chinese market, non-recyclable plastics entered the waste-to-energy plant at about 85-90 euros per ton, today they have exceeded 170 euros.
If a waste disposal company, in order to deliver a ton of non-recyclable plastic to the waste-to-energy plant, will have to spend 170 euros, a figure to which it will have to add the costs of treatment and transport, it will not be able to ask for less than 250-300 euros from those who produce that waste, if they want to earn something.
If someone takes it away from me at 100 euros per ton, there is something wrong. It is difficult for the entrepreneur not to ask himself the problem that that price is absolutely out of the market. And that therefore it is likely that that waste will not undergo any treatment”.
This unhealthy mechanism makes the activity of honest entrepreneurs very difficult, as the prices with which they offer themselves on the market are not competitive.
Special Waste Disposal Emergency: Fires are also on the rise
To aggravate an already extremely delicate situation, there are the numerous arson attacks set to burn abandoned waste in order to erase its traces. This phenomenon also affects Northern Italy, where, in recent years, fires have occurred with a truly alarming frequency.
According to an analysis conducted in November 2017 by the Fire Brigade, in Lombardy alone the fires that occurred in authorized landfills have gone from 22 in 2015 to 80 in 2017 and are, unfortunately, constantly growing.
As confirmed by Corsano himself, the NOE (ecological operational unit of Milan) has intensified controls to identify the sheds where waste is abandoned and proceed with the seizure activity.
