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

801
� Old and expired medication.
Incineration is forbidden for:
� Selectively collected waste fit for material recovery or recycling, with the
exception of some types of biowaste if they have a calorific value above 11.5
MJ/kg and are used for the creation of renewable energy;
� Unsorted industrial waste; and
� Unsorted household waste.
A peculiarity of Flemish legislation is the possibility for the Flemish minister to allow
for exceptions from these obligations, on a case-by-case basis, for technical reasons
(mainly due to treatment capacity issues).
54.2.2 Landfill and Incineration levies
The Flemish landfill and incineration levies are one of the most complex systems in
the EU, with 37 different regimes and tariffs. Illegal landfill and incineration is
suppressed with an indexed levy of €150 euro/tonne.
The levies vary based on the possibility to apply more environmentally friendly
alternatives for the treatment of the waste, or to promote recycling. Recycling
residues that are landfilled or incinerated have a lighter levy than the same material
which is landfilled or incinerated directly.
To define ‘recycling residue’ the legislation includes 21 definitions, with percentages
evolving from 3% of weight for the treatment of bottom ashes or garden waste, 5% of
weight for e.g. plastic, wood, paper… up to 25% for used solvents or shredder
residues from scrap treatment. For some waste streams for which no BAT alternative
is present a zero levy is imposed.
Levies are imposed on the treatment installations, with the aim that they cover this
cost through the treatment costs charged to the producer, in order to respect the
polluter pays principle. Waste collectors are also subjected to the levy for the fraction
of the collected waste which is disposed outside of Flanders. If comparable levies
exist outside Flanders, the Flemish levy can be diminished accordingly, but never
becomes a negative value.
The treatment installations have to report the treated quantities of waste every
trimester, and have to pay the levy accordingly.
54.3 Key Organisations Involved in Implementation and
Management
OVAM is involved in the calculation and the collection of the levies, and in the
inspection.
AMI, the Flemish environmental inspectorate, is responsible for the control on the
landfill and incineration bans.
Municipalities have as well an inspection competence, and are involved as they can
install a surcharge on levies imposed on installation on their territory.
International Review of Waste Policy: Annexes