Information campaigns and motivational principles in household waste management in Flanders ETT...

Information campaigns and motivational principles in household waste management in Flanders

ETT 53729 – Kiev, Ukraine

25-26.11.2013

Christof DelatterAssociation of Flemish Cities and Municipalities

www.vvsg.beTel. +32 2 211.55.99

E-mail: christof.delatter@vvsg.be

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This Presentation

• Some introductory figures• How to motivate the public• Communication by municipalities• National communication campaigns• How to motivate municipalities

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Some figures from Flanders…

• More than 70% of household waste is collected separately for recycling or composting

• Over 52% of families do some kind of homecomposting• More than 3.000 volunteers help as ‘masters in

composting’ (1 for every 2.000 inhabitants)• ISVAG, once a very contested waste incinerator, now

receives around 4.000 visitors each year• People go more often to the municipal civic amenity

sites than to the town hall…

• It took us 40 years to come to this !

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Motivating the public (1)

• Implementing “polluter pays” principle (PAYT): not sorting waste is more expensive than sorting your waste• Prevention = free• Recycling = part of the cost• Disposal = total cost• Producer responsibility allowing free deposit

of certain waste streams• Provide alternatives to the public

• Municipal by-laws• Describe in detail how the different fractions of the household

waste are to be presented for collection• Contain fines for misbehaviour• Make it an obligation for the public to sort their household waste

Pas aan bij: Invoegen / Koptekst en Voettekst4 - 20-04-23

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Motivating the public (2)

• Don’t expect the public to sort waste when the municipality is not giving the right example

• Rewarding good practices (positive campaigns)

Pas aan bij: Invoegen / Koptekst en Voettekst5 - 20-04-23

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Motivating the public (2)

• Punishing misbehaviour (fines on illegal dumping, littering and illegal incineration of waste)

Pas aan bij: Invoegen / Koptekst en Voettekst6 - 20-04-23

Dioxin-emissions15 families doing this

=

State of the art WtE Plant for 90.000 tonnes/year

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Motivating the public (3)

• We give feedback on the collection results of the last year• Show the public what happens with their waste

Pas aan bij: Invoegen / Koptekst en Voettekst7 - 20-04-23

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Motivating the public (4)

• On a regular basis we organize ‘clean up your town’-days, involving volunteers

Pas aan bij: Invoegen / Koptekst en Voettekst8 - 20-04-23

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Motivating the public (5)

• Specific target group oriented campaigns• Educational actions in schools• Game on waste management for youth organizations• Pop-up collection sites on markets• Cultural and sporting events• Consumers

Pas aan bij: Invoegen / Koptekst en Voettekst9 - 20-04-23

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Motivating the public (6)

• Providing a tailor made service with strongly individualized doorstep collection• Paper and cardboard: every four weeks• 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 in street 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

Pas aan bij: Invoegen / Koptekst en Voettekst10 - 20-04-23

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Motivating the public (7)

• Crucial role of the civic amenity sites• >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

• Open certain hours, under supervision of municipal staff

Pas aan bij: Invoegen / Koptekst en Voettekst11 - 20-04-23

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Communication by municipalities (1)

• Annual ‘waste collection calendar’

Pas aan bij: Invoegen / Koptekst en Voettekst12 - 20-04-23

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Communication by municipalities (2)

• Leaflets, information letters, brochures, …

Pas aan bij: Invoegen / Koptekst en Voettekst13 - 20-04-23

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Communication by municipalities (3)

• Municipal and intermunicipal websites

Pas aan bij: Invoegen / Koptekst en Voettekst14 - 20-04-23

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Communication by municipalities (4)

• Clever use of new media as an additional tool• Downloadable waste collection calendars for mobile appliances

(smartphone, tablet)• Not only the organizations but also specific campaigns are present

on Facebook• Use of RSS-feeds on websites• ‘my diftar’: Possibility to check on the internet

• how much waste you have presented for collection• and compare your waste production with similar families in the

same region• allowing individual advice on better solutions

Pas aan bij: Invoegen / Koptekst en Voettekst15 - 20-04-23

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National communication campaigns

Pas aan bij: Invoegen / Koptekst en Voettekst16 - 20-04-23

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Involving and motivating the municipalities (1)

• Legal certainty• Clear targets• Clear messages• Clear planning of the policy• Clear planning of the necessary treatment capacities• Gradual introduction of landfill and incineration bans

• Financially supported local policy• Subsidizing of local authorities• Voluntary environmental covenant

Pas aan bij: Invoegen / Koptekst en Voettekst17 - 20-04-23

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Involving and motivating the municipalities (2)

• Taxes and gate fees for landfilling and incineration

Pas aan bij: Invoegen / Koptekst en Voettekst18 - 20-04-23

Year 1977(euro / tonne)

2013(euro / tonne)

Illegal activities 02,5 – 4

173,56

Landfilling of combustible waste

06-10

86,7850

Incineration of household waste

012,5

8,10110

Since 2006: no more landfilling of combustible household waste in Flanders!

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Conclusions

• Basically three kind of instruments:• Social• Legal• Financial

• Continuous use of a mix of this instruments on all levels• Important: providing a good service based on local

demands (don’t harass the population)• Similar measures for population, companies and industry

Pas aan bij: Invoegen / Koptekst en Voettekst19 - 20-04-23

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