The Waste Observatory of the Metropolitan City of Turin has recently resumed its full activity, publishing the waste collection data for the first quarter of 2020 which, as is known, also coincided with the lock down from the Covid-19 pandemic. How has the production of waste and the separate collection in the metropolitan area changed in this particular period? In the following lines a concise but detailed report, also taken up in the Corriere della Sera, Turin edition.
Total waste production
In April 2020, the general reduction in waste already recorded in March was confirmed and indeed more pronounced. In particular Turin city recorded over 26% less of total production in April 2020 compared to April 2019. All areas close to the City of Turin recorded double-digit reductions (March 20 / March 19) and the Upper Susa Valley too. In the outermost territories of the province (Pinerolese and the whole of Canavese) the reduction is more contained and varies between -8% and -9.5%.This general reduction further affects the balance of the first quarter which is negative in all areas of the province of Turin compared to the first quarter of 2019, with the peak of -13.7% in the City of Turin; on the other hand, there are more contained reductions in all other areas. The only exceptions are the Pinerolese, the Alto Canavese and the Settimo-Chivasso area and the municipalities of the Turin hills, whose production is almost identical to the first 4 months of 2019. Overall, the reduction of the first four months of this year compared to the Metropolitan 2019 is equal to about 8%.
Separate waste collection
In the whole provincial territory, the percentage of separate waste collection fell significantly in April 2020 compared to the same month in 2019, with percentages ranging from -3.9% to -8.9%; the City of Turin is an exception, which instead recorded a + 0.3% in April of this year compared to the same month last year. The reduction in separate waste collection is only partly determined by the decrease in total waste production, but compared to the same month last year there was a decrease, although more moderate, in the quantities intercepted in a differentiated manner, always with the exception of the City of Turin which is almost stable. Considering that in the last year the home collection service has been extended, which as is known allows for greater interception, it is possible to affirm that a reduction has also been recorded for the City of Turin, although not immediately quantifiable. In the rest of the metropolitan area, the collection systems being consolidated, the variations are more easily recorded. It will be interesting to check the values of the month of May and June to understand if, even with the opening of the restaurant business and more generally of the retail trade, the trends of reduction in production and separate waste collection will be confirmed or instead there will be a inversion.
Interception of main waste fractions
Despite the general reduction in waste production, the increase in plastic (+ 6.5%) and glass (+ 10.6%) production is confirmed and indeed increased. On the other hand, the reduction of paper / cardboard in April (-13.9%) compared to April 2019 and of the undifferentiated (-15.4%) was very marked, while the reduction in the organic one (-3%) was less marked. Overall, in the first four months of this year compared to 2019, there was an increase of 7.7% in glass and 6.3% in plastic, paper / cardboard and organic are instead almost stable (-1.3% the first , + 0.9% the second) and a reduction of undifferentiated by 8%.
To enlarge the table click on the image.
The monthly data, divided by Municipality and territory, published by the Metropolitan Waste Observatory, can be consulted on the dedicated page.