Data on urban waste collection: The case of the Apulia region in Italy

The collection of urban waste is an important step of the waste management cycle, because the collection of sorted waste that soon separates different kind of materials makes their reusing, recovering, and recycling easier and more efficient, reducing the amount of landfilled waste. In Italy, municipalities have to meet specific targets relative to the yearly percentage of sorted waste collection. Collecting and analyzing data about waste collection and the proportion of sorted waste and the specific type of waste materials is a critical activity to measure the performance and monitor the effort of the municipalities to meet targets. Raw data relative to the yearly amounts of total and sorted waste collected from 2007 to 2017, and data relative to socio-economics in 258 municipalities of the Apulia region were retrieved from public databases and were used to calculate waste statistical indicators. Data about total and sorted waste collection in Italy at the regional and country level were retrieved and analysed to compare the Apulia region and specific groups of regions. The evolution of the per capita total and sorted waste amounts was also analysed over time for Apulia and the rest of Italy. The effects of the municipality surface area, the number of inhabitants and population density on the sorted waste collection rate were investigated by performing regression analysis. These data may help policy makers and stakeholders to evaluate total and sorted waste production over time, set and assess targets, and identify best policy practices.