Italy Airbnb Recycling Guide 2026: Types & Methods

Italy Travel Info

How to Recycle in Italy: A Handy Guide

ⓒ Written & Photographed by Nomad Ssalmi

When traveling abroad and staying in an Airbnb,

one of the things that stresses me out the most

is figuring out how to sort the trash properly.

Especially if you're planning a long-term stay, like living like a local for a month,

you'll definitely need to take out the trash more than once,

so it's super helpful to know the rules beforehand!

During my month-long stay in Italy,

I learned the ropes firsthand. Here is my ultimate guide to

how to recycle in Italy like a pro.

While the rules can vary slightly depending on the region,

the general system is pretty much the same. So,

if you're planning a longer trip,

be sure to keep these tips in mind!

1. The Five Recycling Categories

🟤 Brown (Organico / Umido)

Food Waste / Organic Waste

Fruit peels, leftovers,

tea bags, and coffee grounds all go here.

Even things like paper towels used to wipe up food residue

can be thrown in together.

🚨Attention🚨

You must always place it in a biodegradable bag

before throwing it away.

Those bags you get when buying veggies at the supermarket

are biodegradable, so they're perfect for this!

🔵 Blue or White (Carta): Paper

Cardboard boxes, newspapers, magazines,

and clean paper bags go here.

🚨Attention🚨

What if your pizza box is covered in grease?

You need to tear off those greasy parts

and throw them in the general waste.

Only clean paper belongs here!

🟡 Yellow (Plastica): Plastic

Plastic bottles, yogurt cups, and plastic wraps

are usually grouped together here.

Giving them a light rinse

and crushing them to save space

is standard practice—just like back home!

Metallo: Cans / Metal

​

Depending on the region, cans and metals

are either disposed of with plastics

or mixed with glass.

Here in Lecce, where I stayed,

the system pairs glass and cans together.

However, throwing plastics and cans together

seems to be the more common practice overall.

🟢 Green (Vetro): Glass

This includes wine bottles, glass jars, and containers.

🚨Attention🚨

Mirrors, ceramics,

and dirty glassware

should never go in the glass bin.

Only clean, clear or colored glass bottles and jars belong here!

🔘 Gray or Black (Indifferenziata / Secco)

General Waste / Non-recyclables

​

Everything that doesn't fit into the categories above

(diapers, cigarette butts, greasy paper,

dirty plastic bags, etc.)

goes right in here.

Think of it as the ultimate bin

for anything that simply can't be recycled.

2. Waste Collection Methods

💜 Door-to-Door Collection (Porta a Porta) 💜

While you might find

large public waste bins on the streets,

many Italian cities

prefer to use the

Porta a Porta (door-to-door) system.

💜 Collection Schedule by Day of the Week 💜

Food waste on Mondays, paper on Tuesdays—

just like that,

there is a specific category collected

for each day of the week.

Our accommodation had this schedule posted in the kitchen,

so we've been putting out our waste accordingly.

If you leave the designated bin outside the night before,

the collection trucks will pick it up

early the next morning!

3. Handy Tips

💜 Use the Junker App 💜

It's Italy's go-to recycling app.

You can find local collection calendars

and look up recycling symbols easily.

If you're ever confused about sorting, give it a try!

💜 Receipts Aren't Always Paper! 💜

Receipts you get from supermarkets or cafes

are often made of non-recyclable thermal paper.

Simply tear them up and toss them in the general waste.

💜 When in Doubt, General Waste 💜

Mixing non-recyclables into the recycling

can ruin the entire batch.

If you're really not sure where to put something,

it's actually safer to throw it

into the general waste bin.

4. Wrap-up

Italian locals take

a lot of pride in environmental protection.

But if you are already used to recycling at home,

you'll find that sorting your trash here

is absolutely no problem at all.

If you're staying at an Italian Airbnb,

be sure to save this post and refer back to it

for a smooth and comfortable trip.

I hope this post helps you

on your wonderful travels!