The 153,000 inhabitants of the Belgian region of Midden-Waesland no longer throw their household waste into the huge containers located in the streets. Since 2019, these neighbors have had their own bins identified by a chip which allows them to weigh the quantity of waste generated. The less waste they throw away, the less they pay.
In four years, this payment per generation system has managed to reduce the quantity of waste by 38%, according to statistics from MIWA, the company in charge of collection and recycling in this region of Belgium. In 2018, the annual waste production per capita was 161 kilos. In 2023, this figure will drop to 99 kilos.
The change involved modifying thousands of new containers and upgrading collection trucks, which are now equipped with a computerized and calibrated loading and weighing system. “We are sure that we will recoup this investment because the percentage of waste has been reduced, which significantly reduces all processing costs,” explains Sven Peeters, director of MIWA.
The buckets are available in three sizes: 40 liters (one person dwelling), 120 liters (up to four people) and 240 liters (more than five). They only concern waste which cannot be reused, which is not recyclable and which cannot be sorted elsewhere. They carry a chip – associated with the address and a reference person – which allows the bags placed to be weighed.
Each family unit also has another green bin (without identification) for organic waste and blue bags (prepaid) for plastics and packaging. There are inspectors who, from time to time, take part in collection tours. If the classification is not correct, they do not charge for the waste, which generates an additional cost on the bill.
In the Belgian region of Midden-Waesland, residents make two payments per year, depending on the weight of their waste and its classification, in addition to a collection fee
Neighbors make two payments per year depending on the weight of their waste and its classification, in addition to a collection fee. Up to 100 kilos per family member, 0.23 euros per kilo are paid. Once this barrier is crossed, each additional kilo costs 0.30 euros.
In the case of building blocks, the family bucket is replaced by containers located in front of the property equipped with keys, identification cards and a weighing system which, in each deposit, records the quantity of waste released. “This is a fair and honest pricing model. Whoever generates more pays more. “He who generates less pays less,” summarizes Peeters.
The generation-based payment system does not only work in this region of Belgium. Many other European municipalities have adopted it to reduce the volume of waste and improve recycling rates, which the European Commission welcomes in its latest reports. However, the Community Executive specifies that it remains a minority on the continent.
In 2018, Waste Directive 2018/851 – which amended the 2008 regulation – promoted the environmental responsibility of waste producers through the “polluter pays” principle so that countries can meet reuse targets and recycling: 50% in 2020; 55% in 2025; 60% in 2030 and 65% in 2035.
Last July, Brussels reported that 18 countries, including Spain, had not reached the 50% percentage in 2020. The list includes Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden.
Countries that have complied (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Greece, Slovenia, Estonia, Greece, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) have suspended other requirements, such as the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment. It is for this reason that the Commission has opened 27 infringement procedures against all EU members.
Majority of member states ‘at risk’ of failing to meet preparedness targets for reuse and recycling of municipal waste by 2025, according to mid-year assessment by the European Environment Agency According to official figures, Europeans generate on average 521 kilos of municipal waste per person, a figure which, instead of decreasing, increases as the statistics are updated.
Experts approve payment per generation
In April, Spain hosted Waste in Progress 2024, the national reference congress on municipal waste management. Global experts who spoke agreed that the best way to increase current recycling rates and meet EU targets is to ensure that those who throw away more waste pay more for it.
By definition, payment per generation represents the translation of the “polluter pays” principle applied to waste rates. This therefore means calculating the actual waste production of each home or business and setting the fee amount based on the quantity and type of waste generated. The main objective of the system is to create an economic incentive to reduce waste production.
Fernando Follos, an environmentalist and consultant to waste management companies, explains that payment per generation is “a useful model”: touching your pocket reduces the amount of waste in homes. “Distribute the effort and penalize those who are less aware. This helps those who still do not separate to do so,” he summarizes.
In Germany, many municipalities near Hamburg (430,000 inhabitants) have switched from traditional collection to containers with identifiers. “My 30 years of experience in this sector indicate that this model is the best for reducing waste production and improving recycling percentages,” explained Dennis Kissel, responsible for this management in the German region of Holstein, during the congress .
In Italy, 49 municipalities in the province of Treviso (550,000 inhabitants) have had this system for ten years. The incentive to pay less to recycle and produce fewer bags has changed citizens’ habits, according to Paolo Contò, director of the waste management service in this region. “The results we obtained are very interesting, since only 10% of the population does not separate, 90% do,” he explained.
Maria Calaf Forn, environmental consultant and coordinator of the waste tariffs sector of the Catalan ENT Foundation, which advises public and private entities on environmental management, points out that the levels of selective collection in municipalities with these systems tend to be between 70% and 90%. “Its implementation contributes significantly to achieving the selective collection and recycling objectives set by national and European legislation. Experiences from other countries suggest that it is a central instrument both for adequate financing of the service and for generating incentives for more efficient management,” he emphasizes.
Request for “testimony” in Spain
The Waste Tax Observatory, created in 2018 by the ENT Foundation, published the study in 2023. Waste rate in Spain 2023in which household and business rates were analyzed in a sample of 131 municipalities, including all provincial capitals.
The majority of municipalities, the document explains, apply a pricing model with fixed fees: all households pay the same thing, whether or not they sort their waste. “Applying a fixed quota implies that households which generate less and sort more waste implicitly subsidize those which have worse environmental waste practices,” say the authors of the study, including Calaf Forn.
In Spain, Law 7/2022 on waste and contaminated soil for a circular economy requires local entities to implement a “specific, differentiated and non-deficit rate” which precisely allows the implementation of payment systems by generation . Municipalities have until April 10, 2025 to launch their projects.
The rule does not impose the exhaustive obligation to demand a totally individualized tariff for each citizen from this date, but rather seeks to integrate these systems gradually, in accordance with the “polluter pays” principle promoted by the European Commission.
For the moment, underlines the Waste Tax Observatory, the application in Spain of payment systems by generation is “testimonial”, unlike what happens in the most advanced countries in terms of waste management. “According to our data, the percentage does not reach 1% of the total, concentrated in a few autonomous communities, some of which make efforts to promote them, such as Catalonia or the Balearic Islands”, explains Calaf Forn,
The municipality of Girona (100,000 inhabitants) launched its new collection model in May, segmented by districts of the city. In outlying neighborhoods, with low houses and lower population density, collection is done door to door with buckets equipped with identification chips. In the central districts, the town hall has placed smart containers which open with an identification card. Waste (plastics, organic materials, etc.) is eliminated according to a weekly schedule.
Sergi Cot, Girona’s climate action advisor, explains that the ultimate goal of the new system is to apply one payment per generation. “We are in the middle of the implementation phase. In October, we will integrate businesses into the door-to-door system. And by February 2025, we want the entire city to be equipped with smart containers. Today we have a recycling rate of 52% and with this new system we aspire to reach 70%,” he explains. And he adds: “If we do it right, we will reduce the amount of waste, we will reduce costs and we will reduce the amount that neighbors pay for the service. After all, it motivates people.
According to him, this model can be applied in small and large cities. “It can also work in Barcelona, Madrid or Valencia. Ultimately, neighborhoods function like small towns. If we do it well in Girona, technically it can be replicated throughout Barcelona. If it works on two streets in Girona, it can work on 10,000 streets in Barcelona,” he concludes.
