The ‘zero waste’ law that the parliament’s environment committee began discussing on Wednesday calls for 90% separate collection and 85% recycling of urban waste by 2020.

It would also set a 50% waste reduction target for 2050 relative to 2000. The main focus of the proposal is to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

The proposal, which originated as a citizens’ initiative, would represent a major reform of Italy’s regulatory framework on waste management if it were to enter law.

The leader of the environment committee said she planned to put forward “operative norms” building on good practice in some areas of Italy, such as the 1,368 local administrations recycling over 65% of their waste.

The environment committee is charged with finalising a draft legislative text in consultation with other committees. This text must then be voted through by the chamber of deputies and by the upper house of parliament before it can enter law.

The proposal would require all municipalities to introduce door to door separate waste collection and prohibit exports of unsorted waste.

It would also place a moratorium on approving new incinerators. The law would also create incentives for greater use of extended producer responsibility schemes.