Time for a new Flemish waste policy

The Pano report on the VRT punctures the hurrah-story with which Fost Plus, on behalf of beverage producers and supermarkets, soothes customers and politicians. ‘Everything is going well, change is not needed’. However, the reality turns out to be distressing.

Should we now despair and think that sorting is of no use? No. Our waste system does not have to have leaks at all. It is a matter of policy.

Each type of waste requires its own approach. But for 40% of the litter, plastic bottles and cans, a solution is at hand: a deposit return scheme. For years, the most normal thing in 39 countries and regions. In Germany, for example, there are no cans in the roadsides. We also know it on glass beer bottles, and that works very well. The empty packaging still has value. People do not throw it away.

Deposit Return Decree

This year, the French, Slovakian and Scottish governments made deposit laws for plastic and cans. In this way, they want to collect 90% of plastic bottles separately, the new European standard. The Brussels and Walloon regions wrote deposits into their coalition agreements this summer. What will the negotiators of N-VA, CD&V and Open VLD decide in the new Flemish coalition agreement and in the September Declaration?

Because a real Flemish deposit return decree will be needed. The ‘voluntary commitments’ of the packaging sector only led to the abuses shown by Pano. Annually, beverage producers and supermarkets sell more than 2 billion bottles and cans in our country. Without a decree, there will still be just as much litter in 2024, at the end of the legislature.

Taxes and mayors

In waste policy, deposit return is the low-hanging fruit. It is good news for the budget. Norway finances its system with a small producer fee and the proceeds of the recyclate. With this, it compensates retailers for the costs. The government does not put taxpayer money into it. What's more: the clean-up costs for litter are falling. These currently cost Flemish taxpayers 367,000 euros every day.

Bart De Wever complained in the election debate last year that he "had not yet got Antwerp tidy". Many other mayors share that frustration. More than 60 percent of Flemish municipalities are therefore members of the Deposit Return Alliance. Scandinavia is the example for Flemish policy, wrote formateur De Wever in his Startnota. Well, all Scandinavian countries have had deposit return schemes for years. Mayors get their cities and municipalities clean with it, an important tourist asset.

Popular environmental measure

The litter that bothers Flemish people so much consists for 40 percent of plastic bottles and cans. Deposit return is a popular environmental measure. 8 out of 10 Flemings are in favour, 80 percent of N-VA voters and 75% of Open VLD voters. Livestock farmers, the General Farmers' Syndicate ABS and KVLV will also applaud. The can fragments make their cows sick. With a deposit scheme, the Flemish government can also strengthen its record on animal welfare.

The Pano report shows a Flemish waste sector that now mainly sorts and exports a lot. By collecting better, including through a deposit system, you get a higher-quality and more valuable waste stream. This can be used locally by beverage producers who want to include more ‘recycled content’ in their products.

Rapid and thorough changes in Flemish and Belgian waste policy are therefore urgent. People are tired of litter. The leaks in the waste stream must be closed. With a deposit return scheme in the Flemish coalition agreement, Belgium will once again participate in the race to the circular economy.

The support for deposit return among municipalities and voters is immense. N-VA, CD&V and Open VLD have a golden opportunity to get waste policy back on track. In this way, the Pano images of litter will become a distant memory. And people can become proud of a clean Flanders.

This opinion piece was also published on VRT NWS, Through a deposit return scheme we make Flanders clean again, and it costs the taxpayer nothing, 20 September 2019

VRT, Pano, “Hurrah recycling!”, 18 September 2019

RTBF, Questions à la Une, “Où finissent vraiment nos déchets plastiques?”, 18 September 2019

The Pano report on the VRT punctures the hurrah-story with which Fost Plus, on behalf of beverage producers and supermarkets, soothes customers and politicians. ‘Everything is going well, change is not needed’. However, the reality turns out to be distressing.

Should we now despair and think that sorting is of no use? No. Our waste system does not have to have leaks at all. It is a matter of policy.

Each type of waste requires its own approach. But for 40% of the litter, plastic bottles and cans, a solution is at hand: a deposit return scheme. For years, the most normal thing in 39 countries and regions. In Germany, for example, there are no cans in the roadsides. We also know it on glass beer bottles, and that works very well. The empty packaging still has value. People do not throw it away.

Deposit Return Decree

This year, the French, Slovakian and Scottish governments made deposit laws for plastic and cans. In this way, they want to collect 90% of plastic bottles separately, the new European standard. The Brussels and Walloon regions wrote deposits into their coalition agreements this summer. What will the negotiators of N-VA, CD&V and Open VLD decide in the new Flemish coalition agreement and in the September Declaration?

Because a real Flemish deposit return decree will be needed. The ‘voluntary commitments’ of the packaging sector only led to the abuses shown by Pano. Annually, beverage producers and supermarkets sell more than 2 billion bottles and cans in our country. Without a decree, there will still be just as much litter in 2024, at the end of the legislature.

Taxes and mayors

In waste policy, deposit return is the low-hanging fruit. It is good news for the budget. Norway finances its system with a small producer fee and the proceeds of the recyclate. With this, it compensates retailers for the costs. The government does not put taxpayer money into it. What's more: the clean-up costs for litter are falling. These currently cost Flemish taxpayers 367,000 euros every day.

Bart De Wever complained in the election debate last year that he "had not yet got Antwerp tidy". Many other mayors share that frustration. More than 60 percent of Flemish municipalities are therefore members of the Deposit Return Alliance. Scandinavia is the example for Flemish policy, wrote formateur De Wever in his Startnota. Well, all Scandinavian countries have had deposit return schemes for years. Mayors get their cities and municipalities clean with it, an important tourist asset.

Popular environmental measure

The litter that bothers Flemish people so much consists for 40 percent of plastic bottles and cans. Deposit return is a popular environmental measure. 8 out of 10 Flemings are in favour, 80 percent of N-VA voters and 75% of Open VLD voters. Livestock farmers, the General Farmers' Syndicate ABS and KVLV will also applaud. The can fragments make their cows sick. With a deposit scheme, the Flemish government can also strengthen its record on animal welfare.

The Pano report shows a Flemish waste sector that now mainly sorts and exports a lot. By collecting better, including through a deposit system, you get a higher-quality and more valuable waste stream. This can be used locally by beverage producers who want to include more ‘recycled content’ in their products.

Rapid and thorough changes in Flemish and Belgian waste policy are therefore urgent. People are tired of litter. The leaks in the waste stream must be closed. With a deposit return scheme in the Flemish coalition agreement, Belgium will once again participate in the race to the circular economy.

The support for deposit return among municipalities and voters is immense. N-VA, CD&V and Open VLD have a golden opportunity to get waste policy back on track. In this way, the Pano images of litter will become a distant memory. And people can become proud of a clean Flanders.

This opinion piece was also published on VRT NWS, Through a deposit return scheme we make Flanders clean again, and it costs the taxpayer nothing, 20 September 2019 VRT, Pano, “Hurrah recycling!”, 18 September 2019 RTBF, Questions à la Une, “Où finissent vraiment nos déchets plastiques?”, 18 September 2019