The plastic disposal emergency is beginning to ease, but concern and uncertainty remain. In September, approximately 2,500 tons of material were transferred from Sardinia to plants on the mainland, and the transfer of an additional 2,600 tons is planned in the near future. This was announced by Corepla, the consortium responsible for waste disposal, during a meeting at the regional Environment Department. The meeting was attended by Cabinet Chief Cesare Moriconi, the mayors of Cagliari and Olbia, Massimo Zedda and Settimo Nizzi, the president of ANCI, Daniela Falconi, and representatives of CASIC and CIPNES, as well as the consortia responsible for managing recycling.

Critical issues

"During the meeting, Corepla," a statement from the Region reads, "assured that the critical issues encountered during the summer months have been progressively overcome, also as a result of the passing of the seasonal peak in waste production and the resumption of transfers to plants on the mainland."

The future remains murky because, "despite the progressive improvement in the situation," Corepla has nevertheless highlighted "that further critical issues cannot be ruled out in the medium term."

The block

The collapse of the supply chain at the national and European levels stems from an unfortunate market situation. The storage and sorting centers linked to the Corepla network filled up to capacity during the summer months and were no longer able to absorb new materials. This stemmed from the collapse of the recycling market. The economic value of recycled plastic has significantly decreased compared to virgin plastic imported from abroad, particularly from China, at very low prices. This short circuit is linked to the fact that companies are not purchasing the material to be recycled, stalling the entire supply chain. The situation worsened further during the months of high tourist influx.

Massimiliano Rais

All the details on L'Unione Sarda on newsstands and on Unione Digital

© Riproduzione riservata