Eco Industry

Special waste is waste from business and manufacturing activities, e.g. industrial, construction, craft, agricultural or agro-industrial processing waste.

Special waste should be distinguished from domestic waste, which is produced by private households and is normally taken to municipal landfills.

According to the Ministry of Ecological Transition, and with reference to Article 184 of the Environmental Consolidation Act (L.D. 152/2006), special wastes are all those not included in the classification of municipal waste, which fall under the following list:

• (a) products from agricultural, agro-industrial, forestry and fishing activities
• (b) produced by construction and demolition activities, excavation
• (c) produced by industrial processing, if not included in municipal waste
• (d) produced by craftwork, if not included in municipal waste
• (e) generated by commercial activities, if not included in municipal waste
• (f) generated by service activities, if not included in municipal waste
• (g) produced by waste recovery and disposal activities, sludge resulting from drinking water treatment, other water purification processes, and the treatment of urban and industrial waste water
• (h) products of health care activities if different from those in Article 183(1)(b-ter)
• (i) end-of-life vehicles

Special waste is therefore all waste that is not included in the classification of domestic waste. While municipal waste (or waste assimilated to municipal waste) is generally managed by the municipalities, the proper disposal of industrial waste is the responsibility of the companies, which can delegate companies in charge of the recovery and disposal of special waste, to guarantee an efficient and regulated operational programme regarding their treatment, with zero bureaucratic problems.

The difference between hazardous and non-hazardous special waste

All waste is classified by codes according to the l’European Waste Catalogue. Those considered as ‘special hazardous waste’ are differentiated by an asterisk *.

Special hazardous waste

Special hazardous waste contains a high amount of environmentally hazardous pollutants, such as harmful products, infected or toxic substances, corrosive waste. Their correct management requires a thorough knowledge of current environmental regulations, and imposes a number of precise commitments on the part of the producer of certain wastes for their correct disposal.

Special hazardous wastes are products that mostly derive from industrial and healthcare establishments such as:

• asbestos;
• paints;
• exhausted oils;
• solvents;
• chemical waste;
• waste from veterinary medical research;
• medical waste with an infectious risk.

By law, hazardous special waste requires special treatment aimed at reducing its hazardousness and promoting its recovery.

Special non-hazardous waste

Special non-hazardous waste is all waste from business and commercial activities that does not contain high doses of pollutants. In some cases, special wastes are considered similar to municipal wastes if they consist of materials that can be recovered or disposed of in facilities specifically designed for the treatment of municipal wastes without endangering human health or the environment. Therefore, special waste that can be assimilated with urban waste is all those products, manufactured articles or materials whose disposal does not imply emissions or harmful consequences for the ecosystem.

With regard to special waste assimilated to municipal waste, Legislative Dlgs 116/2020, came into force on 1 January 2021, introducing a new definition of municipal waste: this includes “undifferentiated and separately collected waste from other sources [than domestic waste] that is similar in nature and composition to domestic waste”. “Other sources” refers to all activities that do not fall under the definition of industrial production activities, such as retail, administration, education, food services.