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

collection, although they have a green dot and contribute to the system. The costs for
recycling are not increasing and, with the policy structured in this way, companies like
Alpro do not have an incentive to revise their packaging strategy.
To be cost effective EPR industry bodies must work in full transparency and should be
prevented from applying a monopolistic approach to the waste collection market
(collection costs are expected to be minimised in a competitive market where bidding
for the collection contract occurs).
Data is often purchased by the industry bodies from the waste collectors. This could
lead to bias, when the waste collector sells what the industry body wants to receive.
Unbiased information on waste generation and collection (via independent sources of
data or independent auditing) is necessary to check the reliability of the compliance
reports of the industry bodies.
15.13 Prerequisites for Introduction
An important element in the establishment of EPR-policies is the political will to go
further than the EPR imposed by the European Recycling Directives. In Flanders EPR
policies on wood waste, agricultural foil and floor coverings have been removed from
the legislation, even before they entered into force, due to changing political will.
Industry support is not easy to obtain, and both the waste collection industry and the
involved production industry may oppose an EPR except where this is accompanied
by strong legislation.
EPR policies require manpower and administrative tools both for inspections relating
to free-riders and for data gathering.
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