Waste and WEEE management in Flanders Technical Assistance for the EU-India APSF Environment Component Geel, 25.05.2011 Christof Delatter Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities www.vvsg.be Tel. +32 2 211.55.99 E-mail: christof.delatter@vvsg.be

This Presentation Flanders Results of Flemish household waste management Competences Collection of household waste Reuse Producer’s responsibility WEEE

Flanders (1) 3 Belgian regions: Flanders, Brussels, Wallonia Land area Flanders: ± 13.500 km² (45% of Belgium) Flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills Population: just over 6 million Population density: ± 440 inh./km² Intense pressures from human activities: densely populated, dense transportation network, industry, intensive cattle breeding (millions of porcs, chickens, cows) and crop cultivation High quantities of waste ↔ pressure on land use

Flanders (2) 308 municipalities Average population: ± 18.000 inh/municipality Smallest municipality: 84 inhabitants Largest city: 472.071 inhabitants Rural municipalities as well as densely populated cities All are member of VVSG Waste management largely organized through intermunicipal cooperation

Flemish waste management: results (1) Very successful separate collection: Results at the top Doorstep collection of lots of recyclables Bring system (> 340 civic amenity sites) Very high recycling rate 2002: first year in which the growth in waste production stopped Since 2006: no more landfilling of household waste Commercial waste…?

Flemish waste management: results (2)

Flemish waste management: results (3) 2009 1991 Production 551 kg /inhabitant/year 406 kg Separate collection (total) 402 kg 73 % 75 kg = 18 % Residual waste 149 kg* 331 kg *all of it incinerated with energy recovery

Competences (1)

Regions: considerable political autonomy Competences (2) Regions: considerable political autonomy Region fully responsible for environmental matters (incl. spatial planning), except: Nuclear waste Waste transit through Belgium Product Policy European and International Policy (joint decisionmaking) Cooperation mechanisms between regions

Competences (3) One public waste authority on Flemish (regional) level, established in 1981 (OVAM), responsible for working out regional waste management plans Municipalities are responsible for the collection and treatment of household waste Own (inter)municipal services; Tendering; Public-private partnerships Producer responsibility for certain waste streams, WEEE amongst others Commercial waste: ‘free market’

Competences (4) We strongly believe in the importance of integrated waste management on municipal level because: good waste management demands close contact with and full participation by the citizens; this allows optimal community service; creation of ‘market conditions’ on the local level: access for small companies = more players on the market; public utilities and private waste management companies push each other to more efficiency and more effectiveness; pure free market?: it is doubtful that private waste management companies would stimulate waste prevention

Separate collection of waste (1) Paper and cardboard: monthly In some regions: VFG (at least every two weeks) Glass: monthly or in bottle banks Packaging waste: at least monthly (mostly every two weeks) Textile: 4 times a year or containers Garden waste: at least four times a year Metals: at least two times a year Re-usable materials: on demand Residual – not-recyclable waste: weekly Carried out by municipality, intermunicipal organisation or in cooperation with private waste management companies

Separate collection of waste (2) Bring system: >340 collection sites (1/17.500 inh.) for paper and cardboard, glass, packaging waste, textile, construction and demolition waste, garden waste, metals, wood, specific dangerous waste from households, batteries, WEEE, large refuse

Reuse centers (1) Not for profit organisations Three objectives: Waste reduction through reuse of discarded products Selling reusable goods at discount prices Creating jobs for the poorly skilled In Flanders: over 100 selling points for reusable goods Contract with the municipalities Reuse centers receive a fee just below regular disposal cost for the collected goods Communication Reuse centers have a network of repair shops

Reuse centers (2) 2009: 2.976 employees in Flemish reuse centers (FTE) Strong engagement in social employment: specific training of people with difficulties finding a regular job Collect over 8 kg of reusable goods per inhabitant Over 3,6 million costumers in reuse shops

Producer responsibility in Flanders 1994: introduction of principle of producer responsibility in our legislation Shops  distributors  producers/importers – in proportion to the share on the market: REVERSE LOGISTICS Individual obligation but can be organised through cooperation between producers in a ‘recognised organism’, which signs a voluntary agreement with government Since 1997: decision for gradual introduction of PR for magazines and newspapers, printed publicity, batteries & accumulators, expired medicines, tyres, WEEE, motor-oil, frying fat and oil Separate legislation for PR on packaging waste

WEEE - legislation (1) 1997: decision for gradual introduction of PR for WEEE: 1 for 1 take back obligation to start on 1st of July 1999 But…… Municipalities already collected WEEE on civic amenity sites (mostly as scrap metal) Producers not very keen to start with own collection system Hard negotiations about responsibilities and cost of collection “Agreement” between producers and central government was reached in 2001 Collection by the producers started on 1st of July 2001 (2 years later than required in legislation) Only one recognized organism of WEEE-industry in Belgium (for household WEEE) : Recupel

WEEE - legislation (2) Today: 1 for 0 obligation and deal covering costs for collection on civic amenity sites Recupel: “Umbrella” Not for profit organisation of producers and importers Receives the environmental fees paid by consumers Organises tenders for collection and treatment (is no collector of waste itself) Has to agree on contracts with local authorities collecting WEEE Reports on quantities put on the market and collected for recycling

WEEE - Financing (1) Consumer Reuse centers Recupel (producers) Municipalities Shops Waste companies Regional transfer stations (intermunicipal) Tax payer

WEEE - Collection (1) Consumer Municipality Reuse center Shop Waste transportation company Regional transfer station (intermunicipal organisation) Recycling/treatment companies

Financial compensations for local authorities (1) Civic amenity sites: Flemish municipalities receive lump sum based on decision by Flemish Minister Basis was cost calculation model developed by VVSG (definition of a reference CAS) Total cost is calculated and divided over all waste streams Infrastructure: proportional to the surface taken Personnel: allocated based on workload per waste stream and frequency with which people bring a certain waste stream to the containerpark Overhead-cost of 10% is added Calculation leads to (for WEEE): Lump sum per inhabitant per year - 0,2365 €/inh*year Lump sum per tonne collected - 27,9 €/tonne Coupled to inflation 14-4-2018

Financial compensations for local authorities (2) Regional transfer stations: Negotiations have lead to a compensation of 100 €/tonne yearly indexation 14-4-2018

QUESTIONS ?