overconsumption--2009

Recycling in FlandersThe Belgian region of Flanders is an example of how amatrix of waste policies can lead to very high levels ofrecycling, with over 70% of municipal waste being recycledand composted. By comparison, the top 3 countries bymunicipal waste recycling rate in the EU are Germanyon 66%, Belgium [which is made up of Flanders, Walloniaand Brussels regions] on 58.3%, and the Netherlandson 50%. 50Important policies include 51 :• Separate collection of a wide range of recyclables,• Promotion of home composting,• Charges for waste disposal, with the highest chargefor residual waste,• Provision of a large number of ‘container parks’where people can bring a wide range ofmaterials for recycling,• A network of reuse centres, which collect, refurbishand sell a wide range of items, including furnitureand electrical goods,• Restrictions on landfilling or incinerating recyclablematerials, combined with taxes on both landfill andincineration, and• Limiting the processing capacity for residual wastecapacity to a minimum.Flanders even manages high rates of recycling in itscities, for example Antwerp, with 470,000 inhabitants,has a recycling rate of 61.5%. This is despite the fact thatsome districts have 30% of the population moving in andout every year. This rate is achieved through a range ofsystems, including separate collection of recyclablesin subterranean containers, and the provision of nine‘container parks’ so that people don’t have to travel farto use them.32 | OVERCONSUMPTION? Our use of the world’s natural resources