• Recycling standards vary across the US, with municipalities often setting their own unique rules.
• Recycling the wrong material or including wet or dirty items can contaminate the waste stream.
• Some items may need to be dropped off at specific locations rather than collected.

Many of us have been guilty of "wish-cycling" — that is, tossing every piece of paper, plastic, metal, or glass in the blue bin, assuming it's probably recyclable.

Unfortunately, recycling is more complicated than that.

"There are literally thousands of recycling standards across the country," Rajesh Buch, a professor at Arizona State University, where he teaches a course on sustainable business, told Business Insider.

That's in part because recycling systems that sort through piles of discarded items can cost tens of millions of dollars. "In most communities," he said, "they don't have the resources to have these fully loaded, full-capacity systems."

The disposal of household batteries, for example, is a common source of confusion. While the EPA recommends that single-use household batteries be sent to specialized battery recyclers, it also says that "in most communities, alkaline and zinc carbon batteries can be safely put in your household trash."

For residents of New York City, however, the Department of Sanitation's guidelines declare this is illegal and dangerous, citing risk of fire and explosion. New York City residents are required to dispose of their batteries at waste drop-off sites or at stores that accept them.

Conflicting standards can be confusing, but dumping every container or scrap can contaminate the waste stream, Buch said.

Earth911 has a recycling locator that can help you find where to dispose of certain recyclables, or you can pay a company like TerraCycle to do the work for you.

That said, there are some items that almost always need to go in the garbage or a special recycling facility. Here is a list of 25 of them.

1. Aerosol cans

Aerosol cans are metal with plastic caps, which should be recycled separately. Some recyclers accept the cans, but others don't.

You'll want to make sure they're empty if you can recycle them, especially if the cans contained chemicals.

"Some of these are dangerous to put in the blue bin," Buch said.

2. Batteries

Some cities, like Seattle and New York, have barred people from throwing batteries in the trash because they can cause chemical leaks and fires. Batteries usually can't be recycled curbside, either.

Instead, a battery recycling facility needs to take them, Buch said.

If you want to recycle them, you can find retail locations willing to take batteries on the site Call2Recycle.

3. Chip bags and other snack wrappers

Chip bags, granola bar wrappers, and other snack packages are often multi-layered materials, Buch said.

"You've got foil on the outside," he said. "You've got a plastic coating on the inside, and that's not recyclable."

The machines aren't able to separate the layers, he said.

Some brands' packaging is recyclable through How2Recycle, though you'll have to drop it off at a participating grocery store or retailer.

4. Coffee mugs and other ceramics

There isn't good technology to recycle ceramics, Buch said. They can even damage equipment.

The same is true for heat-resistant glass used to make items like baking dishes. Unwanted ceramics can usually be discarded in the household trash.

5. Coffee pods

Over the years, coffee companies have made their pods more environmentally friendly by switching to a different type of recyclable plastic. But you still can't just toss them in your recycling right out of the machine.

"The foil is recyclable," Buch said. "The plastic is recyclable." But you have to remove the foil top from the plastic cup. As with all other recycling, it should be clean and dry.

Even when properly separated, though, the pods can be what Buch calls a "nuisance item." They're so small that they often fall through slots or holes in sorting machines instead of getting recycled.

"Anything that's 2 inches or smaller is going to fall out of the sorting system," Buch said.

There are still ways to recycle some pods, though. Nescafé accepts pods you return to them, for example.

6. Diapers

Disposable diapers are difficult to recycle "even if you didn't have all the poop inside," Buch said. They contain a variety of materials, like plastic and cellulose.

Some recycling companies like TerraCycle might take them, but municipal facilities most likely won't.

Some companies abroad, like Germany's BASF, are making advancements in chemically recycling diapers using the process of gasification, Plastics News reported.

7. E-waste

Cellphones, printers, and computers contain plastic, metal, and a mix of other materials that make them poorly suited for standard recycling systems.

Many cities have separate facilities where you can drop off e-waste, or you might be able to schedule a special pickup. For example, if you have a coffee maker that's gone kaput, a retailer like Staples might recycle it and other small appliances for free.

8. Inflatable pools and toys

In 2018, the US generated 35.7 million tons of plastic waste and only recycled about 9% of it, according to the EPA's most recent estimates. Because there are so many different kinds of plastics, it can be difficult to know what you can and cannot throw in your blue bin.

Many plastic containers have a little symbol: recycling arrows with a number in the center. This is what's known as a resin identification code.

Most recycling facilities accept empty, clean, dry number 1 or 2 plastic. Some locations accept numbers 1 through 7, while others won't take numbers 3, 6, or 7. It's best to check before you chuck your plastic in the bin.

PVC, which is number 3, is used to make inflatable pool toys, faux leather, and other goods, and is very difficult to recycle.

9. Light bulbs

There are many types of light bulbs, from CFLs to LEDs. It's important to figure out what type you have before tossing it because many municipalities have different rules about where they go.

"Some of the old light bulbs even have mercury or other kinds of chemicals in them, like fluorescent light bulbs," Buch said. So you may have to take them to your local hazardous waste collection site.

Some hardware stores will take certain types of bulbs, and Batteries Plus accepts a wide variety, including LEDs, incandescent bulbs, and fluorescent tubes.

10. Medical waste

Needles, syringes, and other sharp medical products can injure workers at waste and recycling facilities. Some locations have drop boxes or other collection sites that take them.

Safe Needle Disposal offers lists of disposal locations by state as well as mail-in services, which often require a fee.

11. Napkins and paper towels

You may know that you only used a paper towel to dry your hands, but the recycling facility doesn't. They have to assume it could have been covered in food, grease, or even something hazardous.

"Those things become contaminated waste in the blue bin," Buch said.

Plus, the fibers in these paper products are too short to get recycled.

The cardboard rolls inside, however, can be recycled if they're clean and dry.

12. Plastic utensils

Plastic utensils have a few traits that make them a no-go for the recycling bin. For starters, the size and shape of plastic utensils mean it's hard for them to be processed by machinery. These objects often cause jams or other issues in machines.

Additionally, they're often made from a mix of plastics that can be hard to separate.

The waste collection company Republic Services conducted a survey of over 2,000 Americans, which found that 38% of those surveyed recycled plastic cutlery, as reported by Recycling Today.

13. Prescription pill bottles

As with coffee pods, some prescription pill bottles and their lids are small enough to fall through sorting machines and won't be recycled.

"There might be some communities where they don't take the pill bottle and other communities where they do," Buch said.

14. Greasy pizza boxes

Cardboard is one of the most recycled materials in the US, but over half of what's tossed still ends up in landfills, according to a 2019 estimate.

While most pizza boxes are made of cardboard, they're also often greasy. "Sometimes the cardboard has cheese stuck to it, so now you've got cardboard with food, so it's contaminated," Buch said.

Some facilities will still take the boxes if they're not too dirty.

15. Wet or unrinsed bottles and containers

While many people may throw their finished bottles in the recycling bin without much of a second thought, excess foods or liquids can complicate the recycling process. Briefly rinsing all residue from containers and letting them dry is the best practice.

If bottles still contain liquid, they could damage machinery or be rejected by the automated sorting process, according to Recycle Now.

16. Plastic bags and bubble wrap

Plastic bags and film and bubble wrap can cause serious problems for recycling equipment, acting a bit like hair caught around a vacuum roller brush.

"Plastic film stretches and becomes literally filament-like," Buch said. "It gets wrapped around inside these sorting systems."

The Republic Services survey found that 41% percent of those surveyed recycled plastic shopping bags.

Many grocery stores have collection boxes for plastic bags.

17. Loose plastic bottle tops

Whether you should leave plastic tops on water bottles before recycling them varies between municipalities.

"The lid is made of a different material than the plastic bottle itself," Buch said, so they're recycled differently.

Many facilities can separate the cap and bottle. However, you'll still want to check with your local recycler because some require cap-free bottles.

18. Styrofoam

Many cities and states have banned Styrofoam food containers, but the substance still arrives in a lot of products and shipping packaging.

Styrofoam, also known as polystyrene, isn't recyclable in most curbside bins. Many cities have drop-off sites, though they may only take certain types, like Styrofoam blocks.

19. Receipts

Though receipts can sometimes seem paper-like enough for the recycling bin, the thermal paper that most are printed on contains chemicals like Bisphenol-A and Bisphenol-S, which could contaminate other paper in the recycling stream or find their way into wastewater, per the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

So the next time you're cleaning out your coat pockets, those receipts that have been in there for a year can go straight to the trash.

20. Photos and glossy photo paper

Much like receipts, recycling photos and glossy paper may seem acceptable, but the coating on most photo paper contains metals or plastic.

If you're unsure about whether certain other glossy materials, like wrapping paper, can be recycled, you can perform the "rip test" as outlined by the Ecology Center. If the material doesn't rip the way printer paper does, it's most certainly not recyclable.

21. Cables, wires, garden hoses, and extension cords

Like plastic bags, electrical cords and wires, string lights, and garden hoses are items that sanitation departments often describe as "tanglers."

Portland's garbage and recycling guidance notes that these materials can wrap around the recycling equipment and must be removed by hand, a process it describes as both inefficient and dangerous.

22. Clothing and shoes

Clothing, shoes, and other textiles don't belong in household recycling bins.

If they are in good condition, they can be donated to charity or even sold online for some extra cash. The US Environmental Protection Agency recommends checking with local charities to see whether they accept damaged clothing and shoes.

You can also check to see whether your local authority offers a textile recycling service. For example, Fairfax County, Virginia, has a pilot textile recycling program with bins for recycling old clothing, shoes, and other textiles.

23. Mirrors and window panes

While you should generally be recycling your glass containers and bottles, mirrors and window panes are a different story.

This is because mirrors and window panes have a different melting point than glass jars and containers, which can contaminate the recycling stream.

If in good condition, mirrors can be donated to thrift stores, and windows to organizations like Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

24. Shredded paper — depending on your recycling program

Whether you can recycle shredded paper depends on your local recycling program, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Its small size makes it challenging to sort at recycling facilities, and many facilities do not accept it for that reason. Some authorities, such as Gainesville, Florida, request that residents place it in a paper bag for recycling.

To avoid shredded paper going to waste, you can also use it for compost.

25. Compostable plastic cups and containers

Compostable plastics can contaminate plastic recycling streams when mixed with non-compostable plastics.

The Environmental Protection Agency recommends checking whether your area has a recycling program that accepts compostable plastic or a local drop-off area for these items.

Sadiq Khan's Culture Team has blocked Charlotte Gill on X after she flagged their bonkers £500,000 woke grants – funding queer birding, doll workshops and a solarpunk festival. Your money at work.

The post Why Was I Blocked on X by the Mayor of London’s Culture Team? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

As the Trump administration's short-lived Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project implemented its plan to downsize the federal workforce, there was much wailing from the liberal institutions in Washington, D.C.

Federal employee unions filed lawsuits to block the effort. NPR ran profiles of federal workers who, for the first time, faced the prospect of potentially not having absolute job security forever. The Brookings Institution wondered how many jobs the federal government could shed before it crashes.

The answer: plenty. The Trump administration has cut more than 10 percent of the federal workforce, and the government hasn't crashed. Indeed, it hasn't even shrunk—if you're counting by dollars spent instead of people employed.

In a new article for City Journal, Manhattan Institute senior fellow Judge Glock highlights the tremendous gap between the dire predictions about DOGE's cuts and the reality that has emerged, more than a year after DOGE was shut down. Despite having only a modest impact on spending, Glock writes, DOGE "had a massive impact on the federal civil service."

This is true—to a point, more on that in a moment—and notable. Aside from a modest downsizing in the 1990s, the number of people employed by the federal government has been steadily growing for decades. Reversing that trend is one of the few genuinely libertarian accomplishments by the Trump administration.

The cuts to the federal workforce prove that "DOGE worked," argues Glock.

Well, hold on.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy (who departed the DOGE project before Trump's inauguration and is now running for governor of Ohio) set some very ambitious goals after being appointed DOGE co-chairs in late 2024. In an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal in November 2024 where they promised "we won't just write reports or cut ribbons. We'll cut costs."

Musk repeatedly attached some rather absurd numbers to that promise. He said DOGE would cut $1 trillion or even $2 trillion in federal spending. In the end, it didn't come close. By DOGE's own (questionable) accounting, it cut $170 billion. Meanwhile, overall federal spending has increased in each of Trump's first two years in office, and the budget deficit has widened as well.

Yes, Musk and Ramaswamy also said they would reduce the federal workforce. But that was presented as a natural consequence of cutting spending, not as the primary goal.

Think about it like this. If I spent months promising my friends and family that I would lose 50 pounds on a new diet, and then didn't lose any weight, would it be fair to say the diet worked?

What if I reduced the number of donuts I eat every day, but still didn't lose any weight? Sure, that might be good for my health in some way—just like reducing unnecessary workers in the federal government is good for America's fiscal health—but it certainly wouldn't mean I had achieved the goal of losing weight.

Finally, even the claim that DOGE cut the federal workforce requires an asterisk. As Glock also notes in his report, the decline in federal workers has been offset by an increase in federal contractors.

It's not a one-for-one trade, of course. The new contractors are overwhelmingly concentrated in places like the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon, while the cuts mostly targeted other areas, like the Department of Health and Human Services.

"Most of that increase came from the buildup in homeland-security and defense contracting, including purchases such as surveillance aircraft and tanks, rather than substitutes for government workers," Glock writes. "DOGE achieved real contract savings, but these were more than offset by higher spending elsewhere, reflecting a shift in priorities rather than an overall reduction in contracting."

So, the government is eating fewer donuts but more pizza.

There might be libertarian reasons to prefer contractors over government employees. They are less likely to hold those jobs for life, for one. But there's nothing inherently good about a government policy that cuts jobs in some areas just to create more room in the budget for poorly trained immigration enforcement agents and defense contractors. That may even be a negative outcome for liberty.

In the end, the DOGE project looks less like a meaningful attempt at cutting government spending or employment levels and more like a way to purge parts of the federal workforce likely to get in Trump's way during his second term. "As long as [Trump's] larger commitment is to extending his power rather than rolling back power itself, you shouldn't expect the government to stop growing," as Reason's Jesse Walker wrote last year in comparing DOGE to President Richard Nixon's attempted purge of the civil service.

Did DOGE work? Only if you grade it on a pretty dramatic curve.

Yes, it proved that a president can slash bureaucratic jobs—particularly the bloated managerial and administrative types—without doing much damage to the government's core responsibilities. That's a lesson future administrations should remember.

Maybe, someday, a president will try applying the same logic to government spending too.

The post DOGE Worked? Only If You Grade on a Curve. appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Sul precetto c’è il nome di una società mai vista prima, ma il pagamento riguarda un vecchio debito con una banca o una finanziaria. Il credito può essere stato ceduto senza il consenso del debitore, oppure il recupero può essere stato affidato a un soggetto diverso dal titolare. Secondo il rapporto UNIREC-Nomisma presentato nel 2026, le società associate hanno gestito 15,3 milioni di pratiche per conto di soggetti che avevano acquistato il credito, il 27% in più in un anno. Chi procede deve però poter dimostrare perché può riscuotere proprio quel credito e in quale veste agisce. Il precetto precede l’esecuzione forzata: prima del pignoramento, va verificato il passaggio dal creditore originario alla società indicata nell’atto.

Perché una società che non conosco può chiedermi di pagare?

“Perché il creditore può cambiare”.

L’art. 1260 c.c. consente al creditore di trasferire il proprio credito a un altro soggetto, salvo i limiti previsti dalla legge. Il consenso del debitore, di regola, non serve.

La cessione si perfeziona senza il consenso del debitore; la sua efficacia nei suoi confronti segue regole proprie. Nella cessione ordinaria, l’art. 1264 c.c. guarda all’accettazione o alla notificazione. Per le cessioni in blocco, l’art. 58 TUB attribuisce agli adempimenti pubblicitari previsti dalla legge gli effetti dell’art. 1264; nelle cartolarizzazioni la legge n. 130/1999 richiama lo stesso regime.

Nei rapporti bancari il meccanismo può coinvolgere migliaia di posizioni insieme. Una banca o una finanziaria può cedere un intero portafoglio di crediti; nelle operazioni di cartolarizzazione ad acquistarli può essere una società veicolo, la cosiddetta SPV. Tra i crediti ceduti possono esserci anche quelli deteriorati, gli NPL, ma cessione e cartolarizzazione non riguardano soltanto questa categoria.

La SPV che acquista il credito può affidarne la riscossione a un servicer o a un altro soggetto incaricato. Banca d’Italia spiega infatti che, nelle cartolarizzazioni, il cliente può non avere rapporti diretti con la società veicolo e interfacciarsi invece con chi gestisce la riscossione.

“Un finanziamento nato con una banca può finire in un portafoglio acquistato da una SPV e poi essere recuperato da una società con un nome completamente diverso”.

Sul precetto possono quindi comparire il nuovo creditore e il soggetto che agisce per suo conto.
La società di recupero crediti che compare nel precetto può quindi essere diversa dal soggetto che ha acquistato il credito. Per capire chi abbia davvero il diritto di pretendere il pagamento occorre ricostruire la catena che parte dal creditore originario e arriva al soggetto indicato nel precetto.

Come faccio a sapere se proprio il mio credito è stato ceduto a quella società?

Se la titolarità del credito viene contestata, chi sostiene di averlo acquistato deve dimostrare che proprio quel rapporto rientra nella cessione richiamata. Il cessionario deve provare l’inclusione dello specifico credito nell’operazione da cui fa derivare il proprio diritto (Cass. sent. n. 15900/2026).

L’art. 58 TUB prevede una specifica forma di pubblicità della cessione. Per il debitore resta però da verificare se i criteri indicati nell’avviso permettono di riconoscere anche la sua posizione.
Quando quei criteri individuano con precisione i crediti trasferiti, la pubblicazione può servire a provare che uno specifico rapporto rientra nel blocco. Se il perimetro resta troppo ampio o generico, occorrono altri elementi capaci di collegare quel portafoglio proprio al debito indicato nel precetto.

È quanto emerge dalla sentenza n. 6443/2026 della Corte d’Appello di Roma. Il precetto riguardava un mutuo ipotecario originariamente stipulato con una banca ed era stato notificato dalla mandataria del soggetto che affermava di avere acquistato il credito.
Nel giudizio, però, la catena non risultava ricostruita con sufficiente certezza. L’avviso pubblicato in Gazzetta descriveva un portafoglio molto ampio. Il codice indicato per identificare la posizione non consentiva di collegarla con sicurezza allo specifico contratto. Mancava inoltre una prova adeguata della classificazione “a sofferenza”, una delle caratteristiche utilizzate per delimitare i crediti ceduti.

“Provare che un portafoglio di crediti è stato ceduto e provare che dentro quel portafoglio c’è proprio quel debito sono due passaggi distinti”.

La prova deve permettere di seguire il filo dal rapporto originario fino al soggetto che oggi pretende il pagamento.
Il contratto di cessione e tutta la documentazione relativa al trasferimento, peraltro, non devono necessariamente essere allegati per intero al precetto. Se il debitore contesta che quella società sia davvero titolare del credito, chi procede deve essere in grado di ricostruire e provare la catena che collega il creditore originario, la cessione e lo specifico credito azionato.

Cosa devo controllare nel precetto prima che parta il pignoramento?

Il precetto va letto cercando di ricostruire un percorso: dal debito originario al soggetto che oggi intima il pagamento.

“L’art. 480 c.p.c. definisce il precetto come l’intimazione ad adempiere l’obbligo risultante dal titolo esecutivo e richiede l’indicazione delle parti; di regola, assegna almeno dieci giorni per adempiere prima che possa iniziare l’esecuzione forzata”.

Con il precetto davanti, conviene verificare anzitutto:

• chi pretende il pagamento e se agisce come creditore oppure per conto di un altro soggetto;
• qual è il titolo esecutivo richiamato, ad esempio un mutuo, un decreto ingiuntivo o una sentenza;
• chi era il creditore originario e come viene descritto il passaggio al nuovo titolare;
• quali dati identificano il credito, come numero del contratto, mutuo, posizione o altri codici;
• quali estremi della cessione vengono indicati, compreso l’eventuale richiamo alla Gazzetta Ufficiale.

Questi elementi servono a capire se la catena della titolarità è ricostruibile. È proprio sul collegamento tra il rapporto originario, la cessione e lo specifico credito azionato che la Corte d’Appello di Roma, ha concentrato la verifica.

Il precetto ha propri requisiti di validità, mentre la titolarità del credito può essere provata anche attraverso documenti esterni all’atto.
Se viene contestato che quella società sia davvero titolare del credito, la questione riguarda il diritto di procedere all’esecuzione. È il terreno dell’opposizione prevista dall’art. 615 c.p.c.; prima che l’esecuzione inizi, può essere proposta opposizione al precetto chiedendo al giudice, in presenza di gravi motivi, di sospenderne l’efficacia esecutiva.

Diverso è contestare un vizio formale del precetto. L’art. 617 c.p.c., che prevede un termine perentorio di venti giorni. Nella vicenda decisa dalla Corte d’Appello di Roma, la contestazione sulla titolarità del credito è stata ricondotta all’art. 615 proprio perché riguardava il diritto stesso di procedere, non la regolarità formale dell’atto.

L’art. 481 c.p.c. stabilisce che il precetto diventa inefficace se l’esecuzione non inizia entro novanta giorni dalla notificazione; se viene proposta opposizione, il decorso di quel termine resta sospeso.

L’opposizione, però, non blocca da sola il pignoramento: per fermare l’esecuzione serve il provvedimento di sospensione del giudice previsto dall’art. 615 c.p.c. Decorso il termine indicato nel precetto, di regola almeno dieci giorni, il creditore può quindi avviare l’esecuzione, salvo che sia intervenuta la sospensione.

A California state auditor found waste, mismanagement, and misuse of taxpayer money inside several state agencies, including the office of state Controller Malia Cohen, which is responsible for managing state finances and payroll. The investigation found that for over a year, senior officials in Cohen's office deliberately stalled the recovery of more than $33,000 in salary overpayments to two employees, canceling a required payroll deduction while considering an alternative plan to seek state payments on the employees' behalf. Officials never carried out that plan, and the auditor concluded that the office violated state law by failing to collect one employee's debt. The investigation also found that two managers worked remotely from Idaho, Tennessee, and Alabama despite rules restricting out-of-state telework. Across nine cases involving multiple state agencies, the auditor identified about $885,000 in wasted, misused, uncollected, or improperly spent public funds.

The post Brickbat: Not Counting Every Penny appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Lo spread tra Btp italiani e Bund tedeschi ha mostrato un calo all’apertura dei mercati finanziari il 14 ottobre. Il differenziale è calato a 107 punti base, per la prima volta sotto la soglia psicologica dei 110 punti da giorni in apertura. I rendimenti sono rimasti fermi a 4,53%, mentre quelli tedeschi sono cresciuti.

Ieri si è conclusa l’asta dei titoli a medio e lungo termine dei Btp, che ha portato 7 miliardi di euro nelle casse dello Stato. I rendimenti sono stati piuttosto alti, anche oltre 4,8% per i titoli a scadenza più lunga. Nonostante questo, la domanda è stata sostenuta.

Lo spread è in calo, ma non i rendimenti

La riduzione dello spread verificatasi in apertura il 14 ottobre è stata causata soprattutto da un aumento dei rendimenti dei Bund tedeschi, non da un calo di quelli dei Btp, che sono rimasti al 4,53%. Questa quota è piuttosto stabile ormai da alcuni giorni e potrebbe essere un nuovo punto di equilibrio per i titoli italiani dopo la volatilità delle scorse settimane.

La crisi de debito in pausa

Tutti i principali elementi della crisi del debito mondiale non hanno presentato nuovi sviluppi questa settimana. Treasury e obbligazioni delle grandi aziende sono rimasti ai livelli precedenti e soltanto il debito francese continua a mostrare le conseguenze della pressione, soprattutto a causa dell’instabilità politica del Paese, con il governo che avrà grosse difficoltà ad approvare una nuova legge di bilancio.

Come è andata l’asta dei Btp del 13 ottobre

Ieri si è conclusa l’asta dei Btp a medio e lungo termine, la seconda emissione di titoli di Stato del mese di ottobre. Il Tesoro ha raccolto la cifra massima prevista, 7 miliardi di euro, divisi in:

• 2,5 miliardi di euro del Btp 3% 3 anni scadenza 15 settembre 2029;
• 3 miliardi di euro del Btp 3,35% 7 anni scadenza 15 settembre 2033;
• 1,5 miliardi di euro del Btp 3,95% 15 anni scadenza primo ottobre 2041.

I rendimenti sono stati piuttosto alti, in particolare quelli dei titoli a 15 anni:

• il Btp 3% 3 anni scadenza 15 settembre 2029 ha avuto un rendimento del 3,69%, 27 punti base sopra l’ultima tranche;
• il Btp 3,35% 7 anni scadenza 15 settembre 2033 ha avuto un rendimento del 4,24%, 26 punti base sopra l’ultima tranche;
• il Btp 3,95% 15 anni scadenza primo ottobre 2041 ha avuto un rendimento del 4,84%, 61 punti base sopra l’ultima tranche.

Le prossime aste si terranno:

• martedì 27 ottobre l’asta dei Btp Short Term e dei Btp€i;
• mercoledì 28 ottobre l’asta dei Bot;
• giovedì 29 ottobre l’asta dei titoli a medio e lungo termine.

Gli spread europei

Sostanziale stabilità per gli spread europei, con la Spagna che rimane poco sopra 60 punti base di differenziale e con la Francia che rientra a 137 dopo il picco di ieri, confermandosi però il grande Paese con i titoli di Stato più volatili in Europa in questo momento.

Domani 13 ottobre saranno messi all’asta tre tranche di Btp, con scadenze a 3, 7 e 15 anni. Si tratta di una regolare asta dei titoli di Stato italiani, ma il momento è particolarmente favorevole per gli investitori. I rendimenti sui mercati sono infatti molto alti e quindi gli investimenti nel debito pubblico italiano sono più convenienti anche solo rispetto a prima dell’estate.

Le cedole di tutti questi prodotti sono sopra il 3%, ma i loro rendimenti raggiungono anche il 4%, se li si confronta con le altre tranche già sul mercato. Il Tesoro immetterà fino a 7 miliardi di euro di Btp sul mercato in questa occasione a seconda della domanda degli operatori. Per tutti i Btp all’asta la prenotazione da parte del pubblico avverrà entro oggi 12 ottobre, la prenotazione delle domande entro le 11 di domani, la prenotazione all’asta supplementare entro le 15:30 del 14 ottobre e il regolamento avverrà entro il 15 ottobre.

Il Btp a 3 anni con scadenza a settembre 2029

Il primo titolo, Il Btp a 3 anni con scadenza a settembre 2029, ha le seguenti caratteristiche:

• codice Isin, IT0005716839;
• tranche, settima;
• emissione il 15/6/2026;
• scadenza il 15/9/2029;
• cedola annuale del 3%;
• data del primo pagamento della cedola 15/3/2027;
• importo massimo offerto 2,5 miliardi di euro più 500 milioni supplementari.

Confrontandolo con le altre tranche già sul mercato, il rendimento lordo di questo titolo potrebbe aggirarsi attorno al 3,70%, portando quello netto al 3,24%.

Il Btp a 7 anni con scadenza a settembre 2033

Il Btp a 7 anni, con una scadenza quindi un po’ più lunga, punta a investitori che cercano strumenti per il medio termine. Le sue caratteristiche sono:

• codice Isin, IT0005722845;
• tranche, quinta;
• emissione il 15/7/2026;
• scadenza il 15/9/2033;
• cedola annuale del 3,35%;
• data del primo pagamento della cedola 15/3/2027;
• importo massimo offerto 3 miliardi di euro più 600 milioni supplementari.

Anche in questo caso si possono paragonare i rendimenti della tranche già sul mercato, deducendo che il rendimento potrebbe avvicinarsi al 4% lordo, cioè il 3,6% netto.

Il Btp a 15 anni con scadenza a settembre 2041

Per il lungo termine sarà invece presentato un Btp a 15 anni con scadenza a settembre 2041. Le sue caratteristiche sono:

• codice Isin, IT0005694630;
• tranche, sesta;
• emissione il 10/02/2026;
• scadenza il 01/10/2041;
• cedola annuale del 3,95%;
• data del primo pagamento della cedola 01/04/2027;
• importo massimo offerto 1,5 miliardi di euro più 300 milioni supplementari.

I rendimenti di questo Btp sono particolarmente alti sul mercato, pari al 4,58% lordo, più del 4% netto.

Come acquistare i Btp all’asta

I Btp non possono essere acquistati all’asta direttamente dai privati. Le aste sono riservate ai cosiddetti specialisti, per lo più banche e investitori istituzionali, che però possono fare da intermediario per i propri clienti.

Per chiedere alla propria banca di acquistare per sé un Btp all’asta basta avere un conto corrente e un deposito titoli presso quell’istituto. Attraverso l’home banking, si può poi fare richiesta, con importo minimo di 1.000 euro.

Environmental organisation ZERO has called for more mechanical and biological treatment of municipal waste in the Algarve, saying sustainable alternatives offer a better solution to landfill-site problems. Speaking to the

The post NGO calls for more mechanical, biological waste treatment in Algarve appeared first on Portugal Resident.

British taxpayers have already paid for nearly 1,000 free hijabs for Channel migrants this year, with the total likely to hit 1,500.

The post UK Hands Out More Than 1,000 Free Hijabs to Channel Migrants at Taxpayer Expense appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Five more charities in receipt of three quarters of a million pounds of public funds have been added to Charlotte Gill's list of taxpayer-funded asylum charities which are assisting illegal migration to the UK.

The post Five Examples of Taxpayer-Funded Asylum and Migration Charities appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Ed Miliband has announced an £88 million aid package for Palestinians in Gaza – just as the British Army faces cuts to save £30 million.

The post Ed Miliband Splurges £88 Million on Palestine as British Army Faces Cuts to Save £30 Million appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Refugee Action is busy lobbying the Government to scrap its "cruel" new asylum bill. Which is curious, says Charlotte Gill, because this 'charity' received over £16 million in government funding in 2021-25.

The post Refugee Action: The Government-Funded Charity That’s Busy Lobbying the Government appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

On Saturday, September 5, around 100,000 people took to the streets of Zagreb to protest against illegal toxic waste disposal in the Lika region. The mobilization, one of the most notable in recent years, brought together diverse networks from all over Croatia.

Protesters demanded not only the clearing of the affected areas in Gospić, but also accountability from the government and a pledge to temporarily halt waste imports into the country. This final demand relates to the fact that tens of thousands of tons of illegal waste found at several dumping sites across the country originated from Slovenia, Italy, and Germany.

The protest built upon over a year of campaigning by local groups in Gospić. These initiatives have been fighting for the urgent removal of approximately 37,000 tons of waste, including hazardous material, exposed during a EU corruption investigation in early 2025. State institutions’ records indicate complaints were filed locally as early as 2023 and 2024 but received minimal, if any, reaction from authorities.

The government’s inaction is particularly striking given that the region is a traditional stronghold of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). On the ground, many perceived their stance – implicitly or explicitly – as profound betrayal and arrogance, likely compounding political headaches for party leadership. In practical terms, this widened the protest’s political spectrum, bringing together an unusually broad group of demonstrators.

The notable lack of official response continued even as it became apparent that the dumping site is likely to have long-term impacts not only in the area immediately surrounding it, but also in downstream regions through underwater pollution. Materials found at the site included shredded plastic from electronic components and medical-grade waste. In addition to having been left lying around, they were also buried underground.

Read more: Local communities in Croatia oppose mega-farm project

Locals raised environmental and health alarms from the beginning, including concerns about soil pollution by heavy metals and PFAS contamination of the area. Only after a long period of pressure, authorities published related analyses. All showed local concerns were grounded, recording high levels of metals like zinc, lead, and chromium, as well as PFAS presence in water courses. The most recent of these reports, made publicly available by the Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organized Crime (USKOK) on Monday, September 6, confirmed microplastic presence in water samples taken downstream of the illegal dump, adding urgency to demands for removal.

For its part, after a year and a half of alarms sounded by the community in Gospić, the government announced it would cover the waste with foil as a first step of the sanitation process. They claimed further steps would follow, yet without guarantee of timing.

On Monday, Gospić je naš dom reasserted the planned actions were not enough. “The liner can reduce the amount of rainwater entering the landfill from above, but the waste is buried an average of three meters deep in karst rock” they wrote. “Groundwater flows in from below and through cracks in the rock from the sides. A surface liner cannot stop this. Covering the waste will make it less visible, but all 37,000 tons will remain in the ground.”

“Last Saturday, on Zagreb’s central square, before tens of thousands of people from across Croatia, we presented our demands to the Government of the Republic of Croatia. These were not a negotiating position, but a minimum we refuse to go below. After this latest finding, that minimum remains unchanged, but the urgency can no longer be disputed.”

“Eighteen months later, we are still waiting for answers,” they added. “How did 37,000 tons of waste end up buried underground? Who brought it? Who took it? Who was paid for it? […] There is also the question of responsibility for what happened after the waste was discovered. Who knew, and when? Who decided it was not urgent? Who decided to withhold the initial analyses?”

Jake Edmiston, a business reporter for the Toronto Star, thinks highly of his mustard chicken recipe. So when one batch goes over like a lead balloon, he checks his namesake ingredients and finds that his usual glass pot of Maille Dijon Originale is extraordinarily spicy—a fact he confirms, good reporter that he is, by conducting a blind test with a professional taster. In no time, Edmiston is on the floor of one of Canada’s largest mustard mills, trying to stay dry and avoid mustard dust burns(!), and peppering Unilever, Maille’s owner, with questions. This isn’t exactly a case for Benoit Blanc, but Edmiston’s investigation takes a few surprising turns and drops some serious knowledge on glucosinolates on the way. Every ingredient is in harmony here.

“Do a little dollop,” she said, then turned her back so I could do my work in secret.

I spooned the mustard from my jar onto a plate, and some from another jar of Maille I found in the grocery store that morning. She tried the sample from my jar first and sputtered a little. 

“It’s quite spicy,” she said.

I asked her how much spicier it was than the control jar. 

“Like, 10 times,” she said.

“Taste is a new core skill,” OpenAI President Greg Brockman declared earlier this year—one voice in a growing chorus of pronouncements about the centrality of judgment and preference in an economy built on artificial intelligence. And yet taste itself is largely undefined by many of its loudest proponents. Celine Nguyen considers the historic relationship between automation and taste; the “seemingly irrelevant, unimportant” inputs that shape our critical perceptions; and the perils of wielding taste like a cudgel. A striking, insightful blend of criticism and personal essay.

Today’s frontier models are trained on enormous quantities of data. One takeaway from Anthropic’s 2025 settlement with a group of authors, in which the company agreed to pay $1.5 billion (or an estimated $3,000 per book) for scraping copyrighted books from shadow libraries like LibGen, is that its models have “read” at least 482,460 books. But even Claude Opus 4.8 hasn’t written a short story that I enjoy more than those by Lydia Davis or Jessi Jezewska Stevens — both of whom, despite being prodigiously well-read, have almost certainly read fewer books.

In this edition: in a pickle; gut feeling; king of pain; life (or something like it); for those about to rock.

Linni Kral has always been preoccupied with her bowels, but as a food writer, it hasn’t usually been that end she’s focused on in her writing. Now, as the internet explodes with “scat chat,” Kral is ready to investigate whether obsessing over our bowel movements has any merit. The result is a giggle fest—though you’ll need the stomach for some serious poo talk.

One day, it seems, the internet woke up and chose BMs, and suddenly the hottest girl you know is posting about scat. Now you have to go out of your way to not eat fiber—prebiotic supplements are in our soda, our candy bars, our cold foam. The beverage case is dominated by the likes of Olipop and Poppi and Culture Pop, all offering varying degrees of digestive assistance. The other day, I saw a smoothie blend in the freezer aisle called “Fiber Supremacy,” and earlier this year, Frito-Lay launched a fiber-packed version of both SunChips and Smartfood popcorn. Kraft is making a purgative macaroni and cheese that boasts six grams of fiber per serving (or 15 grams if you eat the whole box—which is, let’s be honest, how most people consume Easy Mac). Outside the retail space, home cooks are finding ways to fit chia and flax into not just their breakfasts but their meat loaf. They’re pureeing beans into sauces and veggies into puddings and cakes. Literal doctors are posting their #fibermaxxing menus to TikTok. And while this may sound like just another wave on the ocean of content we surf daily, it gets…weirder.