The Vaudois bag tax system “Sorting is recycling” was adopted more than ten years ago. On the occasion of this small jubilee, the cantonal authorities analyzed it from every angle to detect possible flaws. And they were served.
The audit published Wednesday by the Court of Auditors reveals significant shortcomings. First, governance is based on a simple company, without legal personality, which limits its ability to manage funds or sign contracts and allows it to escape the revision of its accounts. In addition, several people who coordinate this bag tax also sit on the board of directors of the Lausanne incineration plant TRIDEL, which eliminates these taxed bags. This creates “risks of conflicts of interest”, note the authors of the report.
The text also highlights inequalities between municipalities in terms of management and surveillance, as well as the risks of errors in the redistribution of revenue linked to the tax, while the spirit of the concept was precisely to harmonize practices. In addition, some municipalities do not correctly apply the “polluter pays” spirit by partially financing waste management through tax revenues, which contravenes the legislation.
Based on these findings, the Court of Auditors notably recommended reviewing the governance of the system. But she was not heard: the decision-making body of the system, which makes strategic decisions, refused.
What is the bag tax?
In total, 237 municipalities have adopted the regional concept “Sorting is valued”. They represent 85% of the population of the canton of Vaud. The sale of green and white bags generates 30 million francs per year to finance waste elimination, according to the polluter pays principle. Professor at the University of Lausanne, Rafael Lalive estimated in 24 Hours that the bag tax works: “After initial skepticism, it was well accepted, managing to change behavior.” Note that Geneva is the last canton in Switzerland not to offer such a system.
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