International Review of Waste Management Policy - Department of ...

10.0 Pay-by-use – Flanders, Belgium
10.1 Outline of Policy
Flanders is one of the few European regions to have set a target for the amount of
residual waste that should be produced per capita, i.e. 150 kg of residual waste per
inhabitant per year. In order to achieve this target, a mixture of instruments is used.
One of the economic instruments used is the PBU scheme.
The PBU system is based on differentiated tariffs (it is known as DIFTAR in Belgium
and the Netherlands): high charges for the residual fraction, lower charges for
packaging and organic waste and no charges for other selectively collected waste
streams (other recycling). This creates an effective financial incentive for households
to prevent waste or to sort out the household waste into different fractions. This gives
Flanders one of the highest recycling/composting rates in Europe, i.e. more than 70%
of household waste.
The ‘polluter pays principle’ is implemented at three levels through three different
tariff structures:
1) Prevention, at no costs or subsidised: home composting equipment is made
available for a reduced price, free stickers against unsolicited mail for post boxes
are made available, etc.
2) Selective collection, at a partial cost: low charge for waste flows that can be
avoided, such as biowaste (~ home composting) and plastic packaging waste (~
environmentally responsible products)
3) Residual waste, charged at full cost: waste charge covers the costs of the disposal
(i.e. incineration in Flanders).
Flat rate charges (in addition to the variable rate element) are also charged to hep
support the cost-recovery for the waste management system.
10.1.1 Prevention
As biowaste used to be the largest fraction of the residual waste (30-40%), Flanders
gives a lot of attention to the prevention of this fraction through home composting. In
most municipalities, composting equipment is available for a reduced price, yearly
education and communication actions are undertaken, a training programme for
‘compost masters’ is offered, composting demonstration areas are set up in recycling
centres and in schools, and similar places. 202
202 For a description of the master composting scheme run by OVAM, see, for example, Eunomia
Research & Consulting and M. E. L. Research for ECOTEC Research & Consulting (2002) Towards
Sustainable Waste Management Practice, Report for SNIFFER, SR(02)05a, April 2002.
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