Household waste management in Flanders Christof Delatter Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities www.vvsg.be Tel. +32 2 211.55.99 E-mail: christof.delatter@vvsg.be

Flanders (1)

Flanders (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)

Flanders (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 Commercial waste: ‘free market’

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 Large number of people compost at home PAYT is generalized BAT waste treatment facilities

Results (2)

Results (3) Household waste 2010 1991 Production 524 kg /inhabitant/year 406 kg Separate collection (total) 374 kg 71,4 % 75 kg = 18 % Residual waste 150 kg* 331 kg *all of it incinerated with energy recovery

Flanders: waste collection before 1991 No selective collection Waste collected twice/ week Any bag or container can be used All household waste to incineration or landfill

Introduction selective waste collection 1991: start of selective collection of household waste Residual household waste ‘dry’ or ‘wet’ fraction Hazardous waste Now: Organic waste Paper and cardboard Glass PMD (plastic and metal packaging) Metals Textiles ...

Introduction selective waste collection Selective collection requires engagement from citizens: New bags or containers for each waste type Slightly more expensive for citizens Sorting rules not always easy More space needed to keep each waste type separately Stakeholder engagement is crucial Mix of policy instruments

Continuous improvements (1) 2013: ‘Better Sorting Team’ Reporting waste issues through mobile app

Continuous improvements (2) From curbside waste collection to underground waste collection and sorting points in densily populated areas

Continuous improvements (3) Waste sorting streets? Underground containers for selective household waste collection: Residual household waste, Paper, GFT, Glass Accessible to a limited pre-determined number of people. (Electronically) monitored: “Pay as you throw”.

Bring-your-waste (1) Access pass: top up at top-up point or by bank transfer Access: 7/7, between 7 am and 10 pm Residents may access a waste sorting street with their sorting pass on any day. In practice, they bring their waste between 7 am and 10 pm so as not to disturb the local residents. Each wasting street can be used by a certain amount of citizens.

Bring-your-waste (2) No need to keep waste at home (especially important for small dwellings) Access-card controlled Less odour nuisance No torn bags, no messy streetscape Flexible, because open 7 days a week Besides the fact that sorting streets are cheaper than the regular collection, the system provides a number of other benefits. Residents who can use a waste sorting street no longer have to keep their waste at home. This is especially useful in small homes. A second advantage is that waste disposal can be controlled. The person who seldom or never opens the residual waste terminal is perhaps throwing away waste into other containers. Or taking part in illegal dumping. A third advantage is reduced nuisance. With the containers underground, there is less odour nuisance. Moreover, flies or other pests cannot get in. There are no rubbish bags in the streetscape. As a result, they cannot be kicked open, spreading their waste content on the street pavement. For users, this is a flexible system. You can dispose of your waste at a time that suits you. You do not have to wait for the particular day the rubbish truck drives by.

Bring-your-waste (3) Small size dwelling: the regular and quick disposal of waste is definitely a must. Great diversity of languages ​​and cultures: no more issues reading the waste collection calendar; no rescheduled collection days (due to holidays). Keeping truck traffic off the residential streets Less illegal dumping In the centre of Antwerp, there are many small homes. There, in particular, it is important that waste be collected regularly and quickly. In addition, the people living in the centre come from diverse backgrounds. Non-Dutch speakers or people who don't know the holidays no longer have to deal with a waste collection calendar. The rescheduled collection days due to holidays sometimes create problems as well. These are resolved by the use of the flexible system of waste sorting streets. With the regular collection system a great deal of trucks have to drive through the streets. In a densely populated city centre this should therefore be reduced. Since the emptied volume of a single container in a waste sorting street is equivalent to 150 ordinary rubbish bags, truck traffic is set to decrease dramatically in neighbourhoods fitted with waste sorting streets. Finally, efforts are also made to reduce illegal dumping by installing additional waste sorting streets.

The way forward for Flanders? Keep up the good work Environmental problems do not stop at country borders What price is the citizen willing to pay? €10 extra investments in our country = marginal result What if we invest that same €10 in developing countries? Only one way forward: dialogue, solidarity, cooperation