Attention to the environment is also reflected in the correct management of the waste produced in carrying out the Group’s activities, in accordance with the principle of the waste hierarchy, which aims to prevent the production and use the waste produced first of all as a material, through reuse and recycling, then as energy and, only in the residual phase, through disposal (art. 179 of Italian Legislative Decree no. 152/2006).
Attention to the environment is also reflected in the correct management of the waste produced in carrying out the Group’s activities, in accordance with the principle of the waste hierarchy, which aims to prevent the production and use the waste produced first of all as a material, through reuse and recycling, then as energy and, only in the residual phase, through disposal (art. 179 of Italian Legislative Decree no. 152/2006).
Lhe Group’s main waste-generating activities are
- the treatment and processing of urban and special waste that the Group manages for communities and private bodies (e.g., leachate generated at landfills, ash and slag from waste-to-energy plants, etc.); • the wastewater treatment and purification of water in the management of the integrated water service
- the wastewater treatment and purification of water in the management of the integrated water service for the municipalities served by the Group (e.g., sludge, sand);
- loperation and maintenance of heat and energy production plants and electricity and gas distribution networks.
Systems of sorted waste collection, aiming to increase material recycling, have been installed in all Group sites. Policies limiting the use of paper have also been drawn up and implemented through dematerialisation and computerisation of processes.
In 2021, the Group produced 690,620 tons of waste, of which 641,288 tons was non-hazardous. The increase over the previous year (approximately 14%) is mainly due to the consolidation of the former Unieco Environment Division companies acquired at the end of 2020. The waste from these companies accounts for approximately 18% of the total waste generated by the Group in 2021.
In addition to complying with the legislative framework, the waste cycle is closed with a particular focus on the valorisation of the waste resource (recycling, material recovery and preparation for re-use) with priority to the energy recovery of waste that cannot be usefully recovered, and only as a last resort to disposal.
| Waste generated by business and main materials (t)1 | 2021 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
|
Waste management services |
532,610 |
437,406 |
|
of which non-hazardous |
483,653 |
353,433 |
|
slags |
169,701 |
173,558 |
|
slags |
84,756 |
71,536 |
|
sludge |
15,647 |
7,534 |
|
sands |
4,826 |
4,548 |
|
metals |
8,898 |
8,238 |
|
other waste |
199,825 |
88,019 |
|
of which hazardous |
48,957 |
83,973 |
|
Integrated water service |
532,610 |
437,406 |
|
of which non-hazardous |
156,315 |
167,072 |
|
sludge |
131,752 |
143,727 |
|
sands |
7,679 |
5,762 |
|
sieve/muddle |
5,394 |
5,637 |
|
other waste |
11,490 |
11,946 |
|
of which hazardous |
193 |
113 |
|
Energy production |
1,027 |
892 |
|
of which hazardous |
163 |
188 |
|
Other non-hazardous waste |
456 |
187 |
|
Other hazardous waste |
19 |
34 |
| Total | 690,620 | 605,704 |
1 The difference between waste generated and its destination (tables below) is mainly due to the amount of liquid waste used as fluidisers in the solid waste inerting process. Data is only available for the two-year period because the breakdown of waste generated required by the new GRI 306 standard has been adopted since 2020. It should be noted that the Group’s activities do not produce any radioactive waste.
Waste diverted from disposal
In 2021, approximately 60% of the waste produced by the Group was diverted from disposal and sent to the material recovery chain through recycling, preparation for reuse or other recovery operations, in plants owned by the Group or by third parties
The details of the waste diverted from disposal are shown in the following table.
|
Waste diverted from disposal (t)1 |
2021 | 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Group plants |
Third-party plants |
Group plants |
Third-party plants |
|
|
Preparation for reuse |
41,221 |
180,446 |
46,311 |
128,108 |
|
of which hazardous |
29 |
8,855 |
48 |
23,708 |
|
Recycling |
4,085 |
172,995 |
192 |
168,792 |
|
of which hazardous |
- |
11,148 |
- |
24,543 |
|
Other recovery operations |
2.,15 |
14,425 |
47 |
13,123 |
|
of which hazardous |
15,440 |
1,143 |
13 |
275 |
| Total | 47,821 | 367,866 | 46,550 | 310,023 |
1 From 2020, the breakdown of waste generated required by the new GRI 306 standard has been adopted; therefore, a comparison with thethree years is not possible.
Waste directed to disposal
The remainder of the waste produced by the Group (around 40% of the total) was sent for incineration with energy recovery (17%), landfill (13%) and other disposal operations (70%), in plants owned by the Group and by third parties, in the quantities shown in the table below.
|
Waste directed to disposal (t)1 |
2021 | 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Group plants |
Third-party plants |
Group plants |
Third-party plants |
|
|
Incineration with energy recovery |
46,254 |
195 |
36,301 |
828 |
|
of which hazardous |
64 |
- |
4 |
- |
|
Landfilling |
14,784 |
20,814 |
7,725 |
4,864 |
|
of which hazardous |
7,267 |
105 |
- |
- |
|
Other disposal operations2 |
120,319 |
70,788 |
124,832 |
74,692 |
|
of which hazardous |
15,440 |
5,711 |
5,711 |
27,112 |
| Total | 181,357 | 91,797 | 168,858 | 80,384 |
1 From 2020, the breakdown of waste generated required by the new GRI 306 standard has been adopted; therefore, a comparison with the three years is not possible.
2 Includes 19 tons of waste sent to incineration without energy recovery at third-party facilities.