The application and potential impact of plastic tax in Italy

Plastic is an ubiquitous material in our daily life because of its versatility and low cost. Although it is useful in the economy and is used in many sectors, its increasing use in short-term non-reusable applications leads to inefficient and linear production and consumption patterns. According to a report published by the Sustainable Foundation “L’Italia del Riciclo 2019”, in the decade 2006 – 2016 in Europe waste management was directed towards recycling: waste production remained constant for 2,5 billion, but the recovery material increased from 1,029 to 1,102 billion . According to an ISPRA [3] survey, every year each citizen produces about 500 kilograms of waste, half of this is packaging and most of it is plastic. Only with proper separate collection can it be disposed of, but it must be treated first and if it is not burned properly in the incinerators it can disperse harmful gases into the air. When plastic is dispersed in the environmental, it takes about 500 years before it deteriorates. Italian are the first in Europe to consume mineral water in plastic bottles: every year in Italy about 11 billion litres of bottled water are consumed, or 242 thousand tons of plastic. Fruit and vegetables are often purchased in plastic trays packed with film or in single portion containers, thus producing about 8 kilogram of plastic per family. This problem could be solved by purchasing products in bulk in biodegradable bags . In the Budget Law 2020 Italy has provided for the plastic tax implementing the Directive 2019/904 of the European Parliament and the Council. This Directive encourage approaches that favour sustainable, reusable and non-toxic products and systems in order to reduce the amount waste produced.