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• Bottom ashes from an MSW facility were used in tile and glass compositions. • Toxicological tests were made to determine the inertness of the matrices. • The bottom ash powder in large particle size showed signs of mutagenicity. • The mutagenic effect is avoided once the ash is immobilized into the products. • Sintering and vitrification techniques are effective to enclose bottom ash waste. In Italy, the production of bottom ash from waste incineration was estimated as 1.6 million tons/year, corresponding to 30% of the total input waste. The bottom ash is mainly formed by SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , CaO, Na 2 O and low amount of heavy metals, therefore it cannot be considered a 'non-hazardous' waste. In this context, the aim of this work was to determine the effectiveness of the sintering and vitrification techniques to turn bottom ash into an inert ceramic or glass matrix using toxicological tests. The bottom ash from a municipal solid waste facility was ground and used in ceramic tile and glass compositions. After sintering of the ceramic tiles and melting of the glass compositions, the samples were characterized by leachability and toxicological analyzes. Living organisms were used in the toxicological tests, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus (Agar Diffusion Test), Artemia sp. (Acute Toxicity Test) and Lactuca sativa (germination) and the results were compared with the plasmid DNA test. Regarding the leachability results, the ceramic tile samples showed a concentration of Cu slightly above the limit determined by the D.M. 5/4/2006 directive and, therefore, could not be considered an inert material. Regarding the toxicological tests, the bottom ash alone is mutagenic, but this effect is avoided once the ash is immobilized into the glasses and ceramic tiles, as demonstrated by the results reported in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the provision concerning the budget of Italy which stipulates that no taxes or expenditures may be established by the law approving the budget nor may the law approving the budget amend existing legislation. The norms that discipline the compilation of the national budget of Italy are contained in Article 81 of the Constitution. This provision stipulates that no new taxes or expenditures may be established by the law approving the budget, nor may the law approving the budget amend existing spending legislation. The national budget is, therefore, an executive act with a pre-established content and a limited scope. In fact, during the thawing up of and debate on the budget, the government and Parliament may exercise their respective decision-making powers over an extremely limited area of spending. This provision does not permit the budget law to be used as an instrument of economic policy. In particular, the multiyear budget must, according to the new law, provide that the growth of current expenditures is matched by the growth of revenues and does not continue, as in the past, to expand the deficit. This new and more stringent norm on covering expenditure reinforces the already existing checks in the Italian Constitution.

In this study the use of 'cleaned' end of life (EOL) cathode ray tube (CRT) glass as a raw material in ceramic glazes is described. At present, the recycling and industrial utilization of CRT, a glass material from TV and computer sets, is a subject of intense research with particular regard to the so-called open-loop recycling, namely cycles different from that of the origin. However, the use of CRT glass as a secondary raw material is strictly related to the demand of high-quality raw material. The good preliminary results reached by introducing clean TV and PC monitor panel and cone glass into ceramic glaze formulations pushed research toward the setting-up of a base glaze that is exploitable for the production of pigmented, silk-screened and flame-hardened glazes (products used industrially for coating floor tiles). The aesthetic and chemical characterization of the tiles glazed by this product showed an extremely similar behaviour to originals that did not contain CRT glass. The good technical results achieved have been supported by the life cycle assessment analysis, which has demonstrated a reduction of the environmental impact of the CRT glass-containing ceramic glaze with respect to the standard one.