Public Responsibility and Resource-Efficiency

27 September 2012Economic and Social Committee

Vanya VerasSecretary General

History – the Health Aspect

• The creation of settlements and increasing

urbanisation led to concentrations of waste

which nature could not process

• Unclean

• Spread of disease

• The public body was made responsible for

coordinating waste removal

Responsibility

• Implementation of legislation – national – EU

• Targets to achieve as a locality and nation

• Reporting

Service to All

• Charges to citizens – from the municipality on

equal and fair calculation basis

• Prices – maintained affordable

• Remote or difficult areas – obligation to

provide all waste services

Access to Citizens

• First point of call for information is the

municipality

• In every Member State, citizens receive

information on waste collections via their

municipality: website, post, local newspaper,

flyers, flyers in utility bills

Continuity

• People like to have a system they can

understand and become familiar with

• Change in waste collection methods are

difficult and costly to implement - retraining

Evolution

Material Resources

• Organisation of bins and collection

system/frequency, bring sites, facility

• Communication

• Incentives – PAYT (Pay As You Throw),

reduced collection charges

• Sanctions

Energy Resources

• Waste-to-Energy (incineration or biogas)

• District heating

• Choice of power source

• Choice of most economically and

environmentally advantageous option can be

made at local and regional level

Freedom of Choice

• Many different models across Europe – public

always remains finally responsible:

• UK: Outsources collection and treatment

via public procurement

• France: Treatment via PPP/Concession-

type contracts and public

• Sweden: mainly public

Sustainable Economy and Environment

• Closing the materials and energy loop through Resource-

Efficiency

• Not a public or private issue = a survival issue:

– New extraction, transport costs

– Recovery of materials is local, affordable,

environmentally and economically sound

– Recovery of energy is local, affordable,

environmentally and economically sound

Bridge

• Municipal Waste Europe members’ members

are in effect the bridge between the actors in

resource-efficiency and the public

Experience Shows• Elefsina: door to door communication: in 3 years from

20% to 90% separate collection

• Pireaus: organisation of bins, collection vehicles, basic

information in media: in 3 months, from 10% recycling to

30% - in following 3 months, 50% increase in quality

• Lakonia: Direct citizen involvement with incentives –

bring site – 0 to 3000 households recycling in 7 months

(communication though local parliament, media)

Thank you for your attention

Contact Details:

Vanya Veras, Secretary General

Municipal Waste Europe,

Rue des Deux Eglises 26/5, B-1000 Brussels.

Tel: +32 2 299 2145,

Email: vanya.veras@municipalwasteeurope.eu

www.municipalwasteeurope.eu

Please take a flyer!