They collect plastics on Thursdays.
RAK-kol-go-no — four syllables; stress the first. Note the double 'l' in raccogliere makes a short stop before the 'g'.
Use this to communicate a collection schedule to a housemate or neighbour. Very simple and practical, this is one of the most common types of waste-related exchanges in Italian daily life.
Raccogliere (to collect/gather) is the verb used for waste collection. The third person plural raccolgono ('they collect') refers to the municipal collection team. This impersonal 'they' is standard — no one specifies who 'they' are, just as in English.
Il giovedì passa la plastica.
Plastics are collected on Thursdays.
Impersonal construction; very common in Italian spoken language.
Lunedì carta, mercoledì umido, giovedì plastica.
Monday paper, Wednesday organic, Thursday plastics.
Summary schedule format; exactly how Italians memorise collection days.
Controlla il calendario sul sito del comune.
Check the calendar on the municipality website.
Practical advice when unsure of the schedule.
Italian waste collection schedules are hyperlocal — they can differ by street or postcode within the same city. Milan's AMSA service offers a personalised schedule tool on its website and app: you enter your address and get your exact daily collection schedule, colour-coded by material.