A decrease but several hypotheses
“At the regional level, we see a marked decrease from 2021 to 2022 which is confirmed in 2023. We looked at the figures to understand this decrease by thinking first of a shift towards the collection of organic waste. If there is indeed an increase in the collection of organic waste, it appears earlier, between 2019 and 2020. Please note, however, that the organic waste figures for 2023 have not yet been analyzed. We have not investigated further at this stage. , we specify from the side of the public service of Wallonia (SPW), through the voice of its spokesperson.
Those responsible indicate that “the study of the composition of the DMRs which will be renewed next year will undoubtedly provide some answers, and will confirm or refute the hypotheses”.
MAP & INFOGRAPHIC | These 10 Walloon municipalities which produced the most waste per inhabitant in 2023
10% less waste in 164 Walloon municipalities
The reduction in waste production mentioned by the SPW concerns a large majority of Walloon municipalities. “The variation in developments at the municipal level corresponds to local realities. However, we note a reduction of more than 10% in the quantities of DMR/inhabitant for 164 municipalities between 2018 and 2023, indicating a more global impact,” analyzes the public service. “Only 6 municipalities show an increase greater than 10% in the quantities of residual household waste/inhabitant between 2018 and 2023 (2 in the territory of Hygea3 on the territory ofIntradel and 1 in the territory of TIBI)”.
MAP & INFOGRAPHIC | Only 10 Walloon municipalities saw the annual production of household waste per person increase between 2018 and 2023
Can the type of collections influence the production of household waste? Figures tend to demonstrate this. In Theux, between 2022 and 2023, waste production fell from 119.7 to 47.5 kg, a decrease of 60%. This reduction coincides with the implementation of container collection and a tax on the weight of waste. A winning combination… and announced. “In 2023, we joined Intradel (Liège waste intercommunal) and set up container collection. The intermunicipal explained to us that waste production would decrease before increasing again the following year. We are therefore awaiting the figures for 2024″, indicates Pascale Deltour, general director of Theux.
From Intradel, we confirm that experience shows a fairly marked reduction when switching to containers. “We see that people are very careful with sorting. Then, we see stagnation or a slight increase but the figures do not however return to the situation before the containers were placed,” explains Jean-Jacques de Paoli, head of the communications department. of the Liège intermunicipal association.
In Wallonia, 5 types of collections apply:
What are the collection types?
• chip container: container equipped with a chip to allow pricing by weight and which is used for the collection of residual household waste (MRW)
• organic residual container and bag: container generally equipped with a chip for the collection of DMR and use of bags for the collection of organic waste (OD)
• smart duobac: double bin/containers allowing the simultaneous collection of DMR and DO
• paid bag: bag allowing the collection of DMRs
• residual bag and organic bag: municipalities using bags for the collection of DMR and DO
What are the types of collections in Wallonia?
Can the Region impose the type of collection?
Let’s not drag out the suspense any longer: the answer is no.
“The legal framework for household waste management and pricing leaves considerable room for maneuver to municipalities. The latter, through the Union of Cities and Municipalities, require municipal autonomy in matters of waste management, specifies the SPW.
To this end, intercommunal companies, very commonly acting on behalf of municipalities in matters of waste management, offer a wide variety of services. Furthermore, it is through tax regulations that municipalities can decline a wide variety of options in terms of pricing and proposed “social measures”. All these elements, resulting from “Communal Autonomy” explains a large part of the variability.
The Walloon Region encourages municipalities to act through prevention (with Zero Waste, composting, etc.), pricing by weight with a distinction between DMR (Residual Household Waste; term preferred to the term OMB) and organic waste in order to “encourage people to better sort their organic waste, a reasoned allocation of kg/lifts/bags of DMR included in the flat-rate tax.”
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