A European approach to waste prevention
The first European Week for Waste Reduction takes place between 21 and 29 November 2009. To mark the occasion, we take a look at how one of our closest European neighbours is dealing with its waste.
The autonomous Belgian region of Flanders is around a twentieth the size of the UK with a tenth of the population. In 1981, they introduced a radical waste prevention plan which has revolutionised the way waste is managed. It essentially involves a mix of: awareness raising; incentives for businesses and the public; local and voluntary agreements; and legislation, for example banning certain types of waste from landfill.
A raft of tools has been developed to help people reduce waste. One example is the Ecolizer, a simple fold-out set of cards to help designers make green product design choices by enabling them to analyse and compare the environmental impact of commonly used materials and processes. Additionally, an online tool for businesses calculates the financial cost of their waste.
Consumers are encouraged to make the right environmental choices through a range of initiatives, including: re-use shops (pictured), home composting support, and even subsidised chickens to deal with kitchen waste at home.
Taxation is crucial
Crucially, taxation has been used to make waste prevention and recycling the cheaper option every time, with high taxation on landfill, and lower - but still significant - taxation on incineration. Consumers are charged for their residual waste and even for some recycling, albeit at a much lower rate. In Antwerp, city residents are given a smart card, which they can use to access paid-for communal waste and recycling facilities.
The success of this overall approach speaks for itself. The quantity of residual waste has halved since 1995, with overall waste arisings remaining steady since 2000, and the amount landfilled reduced to near zero. The majority of waste is now recycled or reused, and about one quarter is incinerated. The ultimate aim is to reduce the amount of residual household waste that is incinerated for energy recovery to 150kg per person per year.
Sending the right message
What is striking is the simplicity and consistency of the Flemish message - waste is undesirable, so we need to stop producing it. We need to see the UK take a similar approach based just as closely on the waste hierarchy.
At the moment, local authorities are often encouraged to prioritise recycling over waste prevention. A recent study by WRAP showed that the public are confused as to whether waste prevention and recycling are the same thing or not, or which one is preferable. Much of the time, the private sector is not even incentivised to recycle let alone prevent waste, with cost and convenience a serious barrier, particularly for small businesses.
We need a clear, consistent approach backed up by solid communications, clear price signals and decisive government legislation.
