Scottish Government

SECTION NINE FLANDERS

9.1 The Flanders region in Belgium has achieved a high rate of recycling and composting. This is often attributed to the planning and wide range of policy levers. One notable lever is the incentives offer by the state to municipalities for waste management if waste agreements are met.

9.2 Flanders is also important to review as its regional waste management focuses on waste reduction above recycling and composting. The region has been successful in stabilising its waste growth rate.

9.3 The population size of Flanders is similar to Scotland although its population density is approximately double that of Scotland's. The constitutional system grants Flanders its own legislative and executive powers. Waste is included in this and is managed by OVAM (Public Waste Agency of Flanders, established in 1981) which has introduced an extensive combination of policy instruments ( RRF, 2004).

Targets and trends

9.4 The waste strategy of Flanders follows a hierarchy which aims to prevent the generation of waste first, then recycle as much of the waste as possible, with the residual waste first going to incineration and finally landfill if no other option is appropriate.

9.5 By 2002, growth in Flemish waste production levelled off and there was an expectation that growth in waste could be reversed ( RRF, 2004).This strategy is important as it aims to decouple economic growth from increasing waste generation. RRF (2004) reports that a key waste target is waste that is landfilled or incinerated should not exceed an average of 150kg per capita per annum and that 50% of municipalities achieved this in 2005. While the waste strategy in Flanders prioritised the reduction of waste generation, recycling rates have also improved dramatically; between 1991 and 1999 municipal waste recycling increased from 21% to 62% (Hill et al, 2002).

Drivers of change

9.6 RRF (2004) reports that waste management on a regional basis has existed in Flanders for over twenty years. Hill et al (2002) have attributed the desire for waste reduction and increased recycling and composting rates to a number of factors including:

• Recognition of the constraints to landfill because of the high water table (indeed, in October 2001 there was permitted landfill capacity of about five to seven years)
• Growth of the Flemish Green Party
• Increased public and political awareness of environmental issues and knowledge of waste technologies and options
• International legislation

Waste Infrastructure

9.7 In Flanders, many types of waste are recycled with a more recent focus on construction and demolition (C & D) and organic waste. Across Flanders, there are frequent kerbside collections of dry recyclables and organics, which are separated by households and companies. There are stipulations as to which materials can be collected and with which frequency (Eunomia, 2006). Bring systems are also provided; bottle and paper banks are made available at a provision of one per 20,000 people for each material ( RRF, 2004).

9.8 As noted, in Flanders incineration is regarded as preferable to landfill. There are 12 incineration plants serving Flanders and 26% of the region's household waste was incinerated in 2002 ( RRF, 2004). RRF (2004) reports that the total net cost of waste management in Flanders in 2000 was €386 million and the majority of which was financed by waste tax which averages roughly at €55 per person per year, in addition to an average environment tax of €69.75 per person.

Market for recyclates

9.9 Hill et al (2002) report that there have been public sector led market development measures to stimulate markets for recyclates and compost. Households are able to sell manure from organic and green waste, subject to a certification scheme established to provide quality assurance, and municipalities have introduced recycling friendly procurement policies (Hill et al, 2002). RRF (2004) report that collected recyclables are tax-free in Flanders.

Policy levers

9.10 There are a number of different policy levers across the region, which range from legislative, economic/fiscal, agreements, to information provision. An overview of is presented in the summary table below:

Fiscal

9.11 CEWEP (2007) reports that taxes for landfill are €75 per tonne for combustible waste and €45 per tonne for non-combustible waste in publicly owned landfills with similar rates for private sector facilities.

9.12 RRF (2004) report that approximately one third of the municipalities in Flanders have introduced variable charging for household waste. Eunomia (2006) reported that a study from OVAM demonstrated that in an average commune in Flanders, the introduction of a €0.50 charge for bag of waste led to a reduction of 30kg per household per year. Through agreement with the regional governments, municipalities are encouraged to exceed national targets by the offer of subsidies for recycling infrastructure and domestic composting schemes (Hill et al, 2002).

Legislative

9.13 Hill et al (2002) report that there has been a landfill ban for glass and plastic packaging in operation since 1999. Under the Belgian waste management plan, there are landfill bans on:

• unsorted wastes
• sorted and non-sorted wastes for recovery
• combustible residual fraction from sorting

There are also several limit values e.g. total organic content must not be greater than 6% for waste sent to landfill.

Producer Responsibility

9.14 There are voluntary agreements on a number of waste streams and newly introduced extended producer responsibility ( EPR) legislation (Hill et al, 2002). Recent agreements have been made with newspapers to use 40% recycled paper in newspapers and provide space in newspapers to promote recycling, worth approximately €2.1 million per annum.

Information Campaigns

9.15 Public awareness generated by communication campaigns are said by OVAM to be important and must be combined with strong leadership from the authorities (Hill et al, 2002). Information communication campaigns are used to engage schoolchildren and to encourage home composting (Hill et al, 2002).

Research and Development

9.16 RRF (2004) report that revenues generated by environmental taxes are used by the Environment and Nature Fund to support the following activities:

• New waste technologies
• Subsidise research
• Remediation of contaminated land