New rules for separate waste collection

Separate waste collection: what changes in 2025

The innovations brought by the new year that has just begun also concern the management of separate waste collection.

To respect the EU directivesall member countries starting from January 1, 2025 must ensure that they adopt the new waste sorting method.

What has changed compared to last year?

News from 1 January 2025 for separate waste collection – photo Getty Images

The main variation concerns fabrics and clothing.

In fact, now it is no longer possible to throw them in the unsorted waste but we will have to leave them inside special bins which each municipality will place within its own perimeter.

These containers must be present in the area, always in compliance with EU directives, in quantities adequate to satisfy local needs, as well as to discourage the sorting of old clothes into the same bins as unsorted waste.

Let’s see, therefore, how we should behave from now on regarding the separate collection of our waste.

Separate waste collection 2025: where clothes and fabrics should be thrown away

There are specific containers dedicated to tissue collection they can also be managed directly by organizations that deal with recycling or reuse.

From 1 January 2025, no textiles in unsorted waste – photo Getty Images

So, if we have an old t-shirt in our hands, whether it’s broken or still in good condition but we no longer like it, where do we throw it?

In both cases, we must place it in the bin dedicated to fabrics.

In fact, the European Union has established that all the clothes, damaged or in good condition, simply worn weathered or out of fashion, must necessarily flow into these bins so as to be separated from the rest of the materials that are already being recycled.

The purpose of this rule is recovery of textile fibres.

It’s no longer possible throw a pair of old trousers in theundifferentiatedi.e. in the waste group not recoverable that is, those that cannot be regenerated to have a new use.

Waste collection 2025: which ones fall under undifferentiated waste

Until 31/12/2024, objects of various kinds were grouped in this category, in addition to clothing and fabrics in general: toys, CDs, DVDs, rubber objects, synthetic sponges, diapers and sanitary pads, plates and cutlery plastic, animal litter, ash etc.

Dal January 1, 2025 between unsorted waste we have:

• unusable drugs;
• ash and coal;
• oven chart;
• porcelain and ceramics (but only if in small quantities, otherwise they must be taken to the appropriate municipal landfill);
• diapers, sanitary napkins, wet wipes, condoms;
• disposable masks and rubber gloves;
• vacuum cleaner bags;
• cigarette butts;
• dirty packaging (for example, the cardboard pizza container).

The waste that from 2025 does NOT fall into the undifferentiated waste

Effective January 1, 2025 they no longer fall into the undifferentiated the following residues:

• cells and batteries: they must be delivered to the appropriate collection containers found in the points of sale;
• waste electronic: smartphones, tablets and small household appliances must be delivered to authorized collection centers;
• recyclable materials: plastic, glass, metal, paper and cardboard continue to have their dedicated containers;
• chemicals: paints, solvents and other dangerous or flammable materials must be taken to authorized collection centers;
• fabrics and clothing: clothes, fabrics and materials of various kinds must be disposed of by placing them in the appropriate bins.

Waste collection 2025: recycling & waste reduction

The reasons why the European Union has put in place stringent regulations are simple and closely related to each other: to incentivize recovery of these materials to be able to recycle and at the same time push all Member States in the direction of maximum reduction waste which ultimately also translates into decrease in emissions.

Differentiating means recycling and reducing environmental impact – photo Getty Images

In fact, since glass, metals, paper, plastic, organic and undifferentiated already have their own specific collection system and specific containers, it was deemed necessary to dedicate the same treatment to this further category of waste which causes an enormous amount of waste every year and emissions into the environment.

It has been calculated that the textile sector is due to a range included between 2% and 10% of global emissions CO2 and to this is added the contamination of the waters which are full of microplastics.

Separate waste collection 2025: heavy fines for violators

The EU directives regarding the management of waste disposal in force from 1 January 2025 also provide many salads for violators.

Onerous sanctions have been foreseen, which can reach i 2.500 eurofor citizens who will continue to throw clothing and fabrics in general into containers intended for unsorted waste.

It must be said that in reality in Italy we are already used to using the special clothing collection containers which have been present in practically all our cities for some years.

In fact, in Italy this obligation has been introduced since 1 January 2022 with Legislative Decree no. 116/2020.

But now we must pay even more attention considering the sanctions that may fall upon us.