Definition of compostability criteria for packaging: Initiatives in Italy

• Published in: Journal of environmental polymer degradation Vol. 5; no. 4; pp. 183 - 189
• Main Authors: Degli-Innocenti, Francesco, Bastioli, Catia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Nature B.V 01.10.1997
• Subjects: Biodegradability; Biodegradation; Biological treatment; Complex systems; Composting; Criteria; Industrial development; Landfills; Municipalities; Packaging; Solid waste management; Solid wastes; Standardization; Waste disposal; Waste sorting; Italy
• ISSN: 1064-7546; 1566-2543; 1572-8919
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02763662

The management of solid waste is changing. The traditional approach based on landfilling of mixed refuses is shifting toward a system based on the at-source sorting of waste into specific fractions. The biological treatment of the organic fraction is considered to be an appropriate form of disposal not only for the “traditional≓ feedstock such as food scraps and vegetable and garden waste, but also for biodegradable packaging, when not recyclable in other ways. Any change from a complex system to another is difficult since many factors are to be organized and optimized. Industry must develop and manufacture compostable products, municipalities must build composting plants and organize source-separated collection, and regulatory bodies must define widely acceptable criteria of compostability. In Europe, the European Union has assigned the last task to the CEN, to provide common criteria and avoid hindrance to commercial exchanges. In Italy the UNI, the national standardization organization, has produced a working document to contribute to the discussion on the European level. In this paper the UNI scheme is described.