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

59.4 Levels of Achievement – Household / Municipal Waste
The level at which targets might be set might be influenced by whether they are to be
made statutory or not:
876
1. Where targets are to be made statutory, what is deemed to be possible, with
the emphasis placed upon being suitably ambitious. As far as possible, the
target should be deemed likely to lead to beneficial outcomes;
2. Where targets are to be non statutory, or where they are not backed by
sanctions, there is reason to believe that they can be set at more ambitious
levels, seeking to push boundaries. It is possible that such targets might not
be met. The aim, however, should be to orient policies in order to meet such
targets.
Of course, the latter type of target risks being seen as ‘tokenism’, whilst the tendency
with any target tends to be – perhaps for political reasons – to ensure that they can
be met, sometimes, rather easily.
One jurisdiction which has not been afraid to establish challenging targets is the
Flemish region of Belgium. The Flemish Government’s household waste plan 1997-
2001 set the following objectives (using 1995 as a baseline – see Table 59-1):
• Waste reduction targets of 6 per cent by 2001 and of 10 per cent by 2006,
later revised to 13% by 2007 (measured relative to trend);
• Recycling rates of 52 per cent by 2001 and 55 per cent by 2006, rising to 70%
thereafter; and
• Each municipality was set the target of generating less than 150
kg/inhabitant/year of residual waste by 2006.
Earlier in the decade, eight of the 20 incinerators in existence in 1991 had been
closed despite bans on landfilling in place since 1998 (see below).
Table 59-1: Targets for Flemish Household Waste Management
Year Year Waste Waste prevention prevention prevention Waste Waste Waste recycling recycling +
+
composting
composting
29/09/09
Waste Waste incineration incineration +
+
landfill
landfill
1995 0 % 34 % 66 %
2001 6 % 52 % 48 %
2006 10 % 55 % 45 %
Source: OVAM
In support of the recycling objectives, minimum requirements were established in law
for waste collection by the municipalities in the Flemish region (by waste stream).
They were:
� Requirements to collect waste door-to-door, applicable for residual waste,
bulky waste, organic waste, paper and cardboard, packaging waste;
� Requirements for locating bottle banks and textile containers at a density of
1/1000 inhabitants or more (otherwise, the use of door-to-door collection);