The End of Waste Decree has been signed and is now awaiting publication in the Official Journal, which should be imminent.

This decree regulates more precisely how End-of-Life Tyre (ELT) rubber is recycled, so that a greater proportion of it can be used for the recovery of material, thereby improving the quality and safety of recycled materials (“second life”). In addition, this decree will support companies in the ELT recycling chain. In fact, the plants that will carry out the operations must have at their entrance a washing system with which to remove surface impurities, so as to allow a wider use of the post-treatment product. Moreover, at the manufacturer’s expense, th sampling and analysis of the output materials, as well as the certification of each batch of “granular vulcanized rubber” (i.e. recycled rubber) have been made compulsory.

In Italy, there was no national legislation that would make the differences in authorisation between different regions and provinces null and void, despite the fact that there are already about one hundred companies used for the collection and transport of ELTs and the production of granules and powder, materials used in the most diverse sectors (e.g. for asphalts in construction or in sports facilities or street furniture).