MANAGING SOLID URBAN WASTE IN ITALY: AN ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

The present article focuses on Italian solid urban waste management companies in the aim of ascertaining whether the best practices in this field, and specifically regarding separated waste collection (paper, plastic, glass, organic compostable, and non-recyclable waste), are sufficiently widespread as per European Union directives relative to the circular economy. In addition to this analysis, the paper also evaluates the financial performance of a companies’ group which should operate economically to guarantee continuity of management and provision of services to the community at large. The analysis concerns companies operating in approximately 900 municipalities located throughout the Italian territory. The results show a quite variegated situation, in which the northern regions appear to represent the macro-area where the most efficient firms operate, realizing the highest level of separated waste collection despite having the lowest unitary revenues, both per ton collected and per inhabitant served.