Italy's plastics recyclers have scaled back their operations by around 40 percent due to energy prices that are "no longer sustainable". Between June and August, electricity bills rose by 440 percent, the industry association Assorimap reported this week. Some plants have already shut down completely, while others were operating only a few days a week, the association said in the "alert" it issued last week.
Without immediate action from the government, there was a risk that companies would be close, creating a "short -circuit" in the system for plastic recycling and a gap in competitiveness on an international scale". Fluctuating energy prices were also making business planning impossible. In its press release, the industry group argued for price restrictions.
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