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Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro"
Recycling
How does recycling work in Italy?
Living in Bari · step 5 of 10Checked Aug 2026
What it is
How household waste sorting works in Italy: everyone separates their waste into different categories for collection.
Why you need it
Sorting incorrectly can mean your bag is left uncollected, or a complaint from your building or "comune" (the municipality, your local town hall); knowing the categories from your first week avoids both.
When
From the day you move in. Ask your landlord or check with your comune for the categories and collection days that apply to your address.
What you need first
- Your address, since the categories and collection days are set by your comune
- Instructions from your landlord or building, since bins and days vary by building
Ask a student
Ask a flatmate or your landlord what actually goes in each bin at your address, since getting it wrong is a common early mistake and the categories are not obvious from the bin alone.