LOCAL AUTHORITIES
LOCAL AUTHORITIES
The ANCI–CONAI Framework Agreement is the mechanism, originally established by the 1997 Ronchi Decree and subsequently by Legislative Decree 152/06, through which the CONAI EPR Organisation guarantees Italian municipalities coverage of the costs they incur for the separate collection of packaging waste.
The Agreement consists of a General Section, which sets out principles and general operating procedures applicable since 1 January 2020, and Technical Annexes, one for each material, which govern the agreements that each municipality, directly or through a third party, may enter into with each Packaging Material Consortium. These aspects of the Framework Agreement are an option for municipalities, not an obligation, consistent with the market-supporting nature of the CONAI EPR Organisation and the characteristics of the Framework Agreement itself.
Operationally, each municipality that has established separate collection of a given packaging material, by signing the relevant agreement, undertakes to deliver the packaging waste to the relevant Packaging Material Consortium, according to the procedures set out in the applicable Technical Annex. The Packaging Material Consortium, in turn, undertakes to collect the material and ensure its subsequent recycling. The Packaging Material Consortia also guarantees payment of fees, varying according to the quantity and quality of the material delivered, representing the costs of separate collection.
The Technical Annex for Steel Packaging Waste governs the agreements for the delivery of steel packaging waste.
By signing the agreement, the municipality, or the entity delegated by it, undertakes to deliver separately collected packaging waste to RICREA at an agreed platform.
The Packaging Material Consortium then makes payments based on the quantity and quality of the packaging waste delivered. There are four quality classes: the higher the content of foreign fractions, the lower the payment. Above 22% foreign fractions, there is no financial remuneration. The Annex sets out the operational procedures used to verify the quality of delivered material.
The Annex also provides for delivering steel packaging waste from streams other than separate collection – namely material captured from the intake of mixed waste at treatment plants and combustion ashes from waste‑to‑energy plants. These streams also receive payments, but lower than those paid for material from separate collection.
The Annex provides for the possibility of delivering similar product fractions, which however do not qualify for any payment.
In accordance with the General Section of the Framework Agreement, it is possible to request temporary suspension of the agreement.
The ANCI–Biorepack Technical Annex covers the costs of collection, transport and treatment of packaging waste made of biodegradable and compostable plastics, and governs its delivery within the organic waste fraction of municipal waste.
The Annex provides for the possibility for the waste management authority or the municipality (or an entity delegated by it) to enter into the agreement with the Biorepack consortium. The municipality may delegate the waste service operators, operators responsible only for collecting the organic fraction, operators of the recycling plant receiving the material, or the operator of an intermediate plant, but only if the latter also carries out transport to the final recycling plant.
The agreement will have retroactive effect from 1 January 2021 for entities requesting its activation within 60 days of signing the Technical Annex.
Signing the agreement guarantees that payments will be made for the share of biodegradable‑plastic packaging present in the organic waste collection, as determined through product composition analyses of the incoming material.
Payments for collection are structured according to the quality of the collection, determined based on the share of non‑compostable material, which is also established through product composition analyses of the incoming material.
The Technical Annex for Aluminium Packaging Waste governs the agreements for the delivery of aluminium packaging waste.
By signing the agreement, the municipality, or the entity delegated by it, undertakes to deliver separately collected packaging waste to CiAl at an agreed platform.
The Packaging Material Consortium then makes payments based on the quantity and quality of the packaging waste delivered. There are four quality classes: the higher the content of foreign fractions, the lower the payment. The quality thresholds differ depending on how the aluminium packaging waste is collected (plastic+metal collection or glass+metal collection). Above 15% foreign fractions for plastic+metal collections and above 18% for glass+metal collections, there is no financial remuneration.
The Annex also provides for delivering aluminium packaging waste from streams other than separate collection – namely material captured from the intake of mixed waste at treatment plants and combustion ashes from waste‑to‑energy plants. These streams also receive payments, but lower than those paid for material from separate collection.
The Annex sets out the operational procedures used to verify the quality of delivered material for the various types of agreement.
The Annex provides for the possibility of delivering similar product fractions, which however do not qualify for any payment.
As for all Framework Agreement conventions, it is possible to terminate the agreement: from the second year of the agreement onwards, the signatory may withdraw at any time with at least 90 days’ notice.
The Technical Annex for Paper and Cardboard Packaging Waste governs the agreements for the delivery of paper and cardboard packaging waste.
By signing the agreement, the municipality, or the entity delegated by it, undertakes to deliver separately collected packaging waste to Comieco at an agreed platform.
There are different types of agreements depending on the collection systems active in the area. The Annex distinguishes between selective collections intended solely for packaging waste generally carried out only at commercial establishments, and joint collections intended for all paper and cardboard waste, including packaging and similar product fractions, carried out at the premises of residential users. It is also possible to deliver joint collections after the signatory has separated similar product fractions.
Comieco therefore accepts mixed collections of packaging waste and other paper waste, making payments only for the share of packaging waste conventionally estimated based on the total joint collection delivered. The Annex also provides for payment for similar product fractions, with an amount depending on the market value of the paper and cardboard waste.
For packaging waste, the payment decreases as the quality of the collection decreases. Above 10% foreign fractions, there is no financial remuneration. The Annex sets out the operational procedures used to verify the quality of delivered material.
As for all Framework Agreement agreements, termination is possible with different notice periods depending on the type of agreement chosen.
The Technical Annex for Plastic Packaging Waste governs the agreements for the delivery of plastic packaging waste.
By signing the agreement, the municipality, or the entity delegated by it, undertakes to deliver separately collected packaging waste to Corepla at an agreed platform affiliated with Corepla, named as the Sorting Centre (CSS).
The Annex provides for four different collection streams: single-material collection, single-material collection with more than 20% non-municipal/special waste content, single-material collection for liquid containers, and multi-material collection. The multi-material collection agreement refers to the possibility of delivering this stream to plants affiliated with Corepla; however, Corepla collects only plastic packaging waste, and any other recoverable fractions remain available to the signatory.
Unlike the other Annexes, the Plastic Annex does not define quality classes. The payment, which differs for each of the four streams, is made based on the content of plastic packaging found in the quality analyses. A maximum limit of foreign fraction content is set, beyond which Corepla does not grant any payment.
The Plastic Annex excludes the possibility of delivering similar product fractions (plastic waste that is not packaging), which are therefore fully considered as foreign fractions.
The Annex sets out the operational procedures used to verify the quality of delivered material.
As provided in the General Section of the Framework Agreement, from the second year of the agreement, the agreement may be terminated with at least 90 days’ notice.
The Technical Annex for Glass Packaging Waste governs the agreements for the delivery of glass packaging waste.
By signing the agreement, the municipality, or the entity delegated by it, undertakes to deliver separately collected packaging waste to CoReVe at a platform indicated by the consortium.
The Packaging Material Consortium then makes payments based on the quantity and quality of the packaging waste delivered. Five quality classes are provided, characterised not only by the total content of foreign fractions but also by the content of fine glass fraction. Among the foreign fractions, infusibles (porcelain, ceramics, etc.) are particularly unwelcome in the collection, as they hinder subsequent recycling of the material.
The Annex sets out the operational procedures used to verify the quality of delivered material to the treatment centres indicated by the consortium. It also provides for the possibility of remotely attending quality analyses via streaming, connecting online and following operations filmed by suitably positioned cameras.
As provided in the General Section of the Framework Agreement, from the second year of the agreement, the agreement may be terminated with at least 90 days’ notice.