Household Waste Management in the Flemish Region of Belgium

Summary

The Flemish region, in northern Belgium, has six million inhabitants, which is four hundred and thirty-seven inhabitants per square kilometre.

The key objective laid down in the waste prevention and waste management decree of 2 July 1981 is to protect human health and the environment from the harmful effects of waste and to avoid the wastage of raw materials and energy. This is reflected in a waste management strategy ranging from the prevention of waste through recovery, by re-use of products, recycling material, energy recovery for use as fuel and disposal of waste by incineration with energy recovery and landfill.

In 1997, Flemish municipalities collected 528 kg of household waste per inhabitant. Municipal waste collection services reach the entire population with door to door collections and collections at container parks. Separately collected household waste fractions are brought to authorised re-use or recovery installations. Vegetable, fruit and garden waste and green waste are composted. Incineration plants for combustible household waste and similar industrial waste have been modified to meet the most stringent EU standards and emission limit values for incineration of hazardous waste. All incinerators have energy recovery systems in operation. Non-recyclable and non-combustible household waste that is pre-treated and fulfils acceptance criteria goes to well-equipped landfills. Ecotaxes have been introduced on consumer goods. Levies have been put on incineration and landfill of waste. Producers and importers have take-back obligations regarding end of life consumer goods. A ban on landfilling and incineration of separately collected waste fractions as well as of mixed household waste has been implemented.