1. Household waste management in Flanders
Christof Delatter
Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities
Tel

2. Flanders (1)

3. 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)

4. 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’

5. 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

6. Results (2)

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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
...

10. 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

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

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

14. 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”.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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