Formation of tariff policy of 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: [email protected]
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This Presentation
• Legal framework• Tariff policy in Flanders• Pay-as-you-throw• Subsidies• Producer responsibility• Summary of tariff approach
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Legal framework (1)
• Municipalities in Flanders are legally responsible for organization of household waste management (collection and treatment)• Regulated through municipal by-laws• Municipality decides who collects what kind of waste, when and
how (within national legal framework)• Own service• Intermunicipal service• Private companies after tendering
• No one is allowed to collect waste without assignment from the municipality
• A citizen is not allowed to get rid of household waste in a way, different than what has been regulated by the municipality in which he or she lives
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Legal framework (2)
• We strongly believe in the importance of integrated waste management policy on the 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?: uncontrollable and doubtful that private
waste management companies would stimulate waste prevention
• Financing is done indirectly by the public through municipal taxes
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Tariff policy in Flanders (1)
• Citizen paying the municipalities:• In the past: all costs financed from either the general budget
or from a fixed waste tax per family per year• We still see similar practices in other European countries
• Linked to water consumption• Linked to surface of housing• But no link to waste produced by the individual family
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Tariff policy in Flanders (2)
• In the 1990ies: evolution to implementation of polluter-pays-principle through:
• Introduction of producer responsibility• Shift towards variable fees, linked to the quantity of waste
produced by the individual families = P-A-Y-T (Pay as you throw)
• Combined with the non-variable costs still being financed from either the general budget or from a fixed waste tax (or mix of both)
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Tariff policy in Flanders (3)
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P-A-Y-T (1)
• General principles:• Make waste for disposal the most expensive (full cost of
treatment): typical for non-recyclable waste
• Waste, collected separately, but which can be avoided: charge a part of the cost: typicly applied for organic waste
• Other separately collected waste streams: no variable charging
• Prevention: is strongly stimulated, for example through the distribution of free home-composting units
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P-A-Y-T (2)
• Practical implentation of P-A-Y-T:• Compulsory use of a household waste bag of a given volume;
sold at a certain price• Waste is only collected when presented in waste bags,
distributed by municipalities• Examples of tariffs: Waste for disposal: average 1,5 EUR/bag;
plastics: 0,25 EUR/bag; VFG: 1,2 EUR/bag
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P-A-Y-T (3)
• Practical implentation of P-A-Y-T:• Compulsory use of a chipped bin
• Where the household waste container is weighed and registered when emptied during collection
• or the number of times that a container is emptied is counted
• Typical fee: residual waste: 0,20 euro/kg – 3 euro/container of 120l; organic waste: 0,15 euro/kg – 2,4 euro/container of 120l
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P-A-Y-T (4)
• Practical implentation of P-A-Y-T:• Collective systems: the underground sorting street
• Different subsoil containers, only accessible with identification badge
• Financing through prepaid-system linked to badge• Separate fractions: free; residual waste: same rates as for
rubbish bags• Requires strong communication, follow-up and
enforcement
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Subsidies
• Regional Government subsidies for municipalities:• Voluntary environmental cooperation agreements: commitment to
achieve a series of environmental goals in exchange for subsidies• Has been a very successfull tool…• But will disappear in the near future!
• Subsidies for specific investments concerning prevention and seperate collection of MSW
• Financial impact of subsidies is limited…• …however politically it can make a big difference
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Producer responsibility (1)
• Producer responsibility: producers pay the municipalities a fee for the collection activities:• FULL COST PRINCIPLE• Packaging waste: total cost of collection, sorting and recycling +
extra fee for coordination and communication• Other take-back responsibilities: industrial sectors will have to pay
a lump sum per inhabitant per year and per ton collected on municipal civic amenity sites
• PR for magazines and newspapers, printed publicity, batteries & accumulators, expired medicines, tyres, WEEE, motor-oil
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• Producer responsibility: financing by the producers: example of packaging waste
No collection of packaging waste
Collection of packaging waste
} additional cost
} total cost !
France, Italy, Spain,… Belgium,
Germany,…
Tot
al c
osts
Producer responsibility (2)
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Punishing misbehaviour
• Illegal dumping• Use of wrong recipient• Putting waste on the street on the wrong days• Littering• Wild dumping in forests
• Illegal incineration• Incineration of waste at home is not allowed
• Both activities can be fined (administratively) up to 250 euro for each violation !
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Waste treatment plants(often intermunicipal)
Flemish region
Municipalities and intermunicipal organizations
Citizens Industries withTake-back responsibilities
Companies for collection and recycling/treatment of waste
Financing summerized
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Questions ?
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