The collection of PET plastic bottles is to be expanded in Italy with the installation of 860 reverse vending machines.

Italian organization Coripet, which unites PET bottle producers and recyclers, plans to expand the mechanical recycling of PET containers. From January 1, 2023, opaque PET bottles and bottles with a volume of less than 500 milliliters will also be collected and processed for recycling in Italian sorting centers. PET collection volumes will thus increase by 20,000 tons per year, or around 7 percent, it says. To this end, 860 reverse vending machines and compactors are to be installed throughout the country. Coripet reportedly took out a loan of 22 million euros for this purpose. Italy is expected to move closer to the targets set by the European Single-Use Plastic Directive (SUP) with the additional volume collected and recycled in the bottle-to-bottle process. By 2025, 77 percent of all bottles placed on the market in EU member states must be collected, according to the specifications, and in addition, at least 25 percent of new PET bottles should be made from recyclate. From 2029 onwards, the specified collection volume will rise to 90 percent and the recyclate input volume to 30 percent.
 
Italy does not yet have a deposit system for PET plastic bottles. In order to introduce such a deposit system for beverage containers, a national campaign was launched in spring 2022. The main argument of the initiative, which is supported by several environmental associations, is the collection rate of 94 percent in EU countries that have set up a nationwide deposit system.
 

Sources:

• Kunststoff Information (Nov. 9, 2022)
• Photo: Fotolia