On the occasion of the recent presentation of the 2020 Report on the Circular Economy in Italy, the Director of the Sustainability Department of ENEA's Production and Territorial Systems, Roberto Morabito, indicated some critical aspects regarding the new massive use of materials.

The first impact is that of PPE (gloves, gowns, masks) on the total volume of sanitary waste produced, which has tripled in the last three months. In Italy, there is now a need for 90 million masks per month, of which over 55 million have already been contracted, as communicated by the Civil Protection (Borrelli). This figure is going to grow further significantly.

The associations FISE Assoambiente (urban hygiene companies, recycling, recovery and disposal of urban and special waste and reclamation activities) and FISE Unicircular (circular economy companies) have raised the alarm about a system in great difficulty, declaring that they have tripled waste collection and management activities in hospitals.

The associations are asking the government "to clarify the exclusion of waste collection, transport and management activities quickly from the restrictions contained in the provisions issued, even when these activities affect different territories. In the various measures published since the beginning of the emergency to date, there is no clear reference to waste management activities".

A second alarming fact reported by ENEA concerns the increase in domestic drinking water consumption in recent months, due to the simple act of washing hands against the Coronavirus. The document records up to 12 more washes per person per day than usual, which translates into a quantity of about 48 litres more per person, for an overall increase in household consumption of up to 53%.