Study tour: Brussels and Flanders

The region of Flanders is indeed a forerunner regarding waste management. In 2000 it had already met the EU 2020 target for recycling waste and has now implemented an ambitious waste prevention program.  Along with an overall presentation of what was done in Flanders, we learnt about specific initiatives such as the Bruges Food Waste prevention strategy and community composting in Brussels.

The 2018 Study Tour in Brussels and Flanders was the occasion to provide European delegations from all over Europe (Belgium, Portugal, Poland, Austria, France, Netherlands and Cyprus) with the possibility to visit one of the most performing regions in Europe. Indeed, in 2003 Belgium had already met the EU 2020 recycling target (50% of Municipal Solid Waste). Within Belgium, Flanders is the most advanced in terms of Municipal Solid Waste with already 60% of recycling rate in 2000. But since recycling is not the highest target in the waste hierarchy, the region also initiated an ambitious waste prevention programme: a PAYT (Pay As You Throw) scheme to reduce waste directly at the household level.