In 2009 an EU association for public sector waste management was established. Why?
The European Union is leading the development of environmental and waste policies. Ever since the first Waste Directive in 1975, waste has been high on the EU political agenda. Over the years the EU has expanded both with regard to the number of member states but also the scope of waste legislation. There are many different representatives in Brussels for the waste sector. What has become obvious over the years is the need to gather those concerned with waste and look at legal responsibilities. That is why an association for the public sector has been created to take into consideration the specific rights and obligations that go with the provision of waste management as a service.
So what do you see in the future for the waste sector in the European Union?
To look at the future, it is normally easier to start by looking at the past. In the past waste was simple, it was not a personal involvement and it was the career path only for fanatics. It was handled by engineers, environmentalists and local authorities.
Today, waste is handled through complex infrastructure and service systems; waste is a resource with profit possibilities and a part of the environmental sector. We got here through a growing environmental concern and a conscious development of the sector based on the risks for our survival.
Looking 10-15 years in the future, the waste sector will be asked to provide even more technically advanced solutions and specific services. We will be asked to ‘complexify’ our waste services, not to simplify them. There will be pressure to expand the economic turnover but at lower prices. Waste generators – the people and businesses – will be asked to do more of the work themselves under our instructions. Costs for providing waste services will be recovered through other means than today. Primarily, when and where waste is a resource in a market we will see new and different ways of recovering costs.
The value of the service as a commodity will be further discussed. We may come to define a good lifestyle based on the number of sorted waste streams being collected within walking distance.
Do you think the ‘Zero Waste’ objective is realistic?
In an even longer timeframe than 10-15 years, there will still be waste. It may however be called something else, and be reused, recycled, recovered or handled in another environmentally sustainable way. All treatments will still leave a certain amount which has no sustainable treatment and has to be handled through disposal methods. The environmental effects of these methods can be reduced and almost eliminated with great dedication. But as long as we as people and businesses insist on producing and using products and services generating waste without sustainable treatment, these methods will always be needed.
To reach any goal, two things are needed: actions and a goal. The future goal for waste is still being debated and will probably never be the same in all regions. Each region or country must set targets, needs and resources. Waste must be looked at in its specifics, as there is where the solutions and possibilities lie.
Another topic in the past has been the privatization of waste management and the competition between public and private sector?
The provision of waste management is a service that citizens expect to be carried out in a way which protects human health and the environment. There are two ways to ensure this – the political vision and ambition on one side, and the practice on the other. To me the key is the vision and the ambitions to decide the goal. After that comes the discussion on how to get there and who should carry out the services. How and who needs to be based on technical developments, long-term security and the competence of the operator. Waste management is not optional, and is therefore not suitable for an uncontrolled market based solely on financial calculations. The private sector operates waste management by choice, the public sector’s involvement is based more on obligation.
But when it comes to the practice of waste management services in a market situation, we need as many good, competent operators as possible, regardless of ownership.
What will be the role for public sector waste management?
Municipal Waste Europe is a political organization with a very clear objective – to promote public responsibilities for waste management as a service of general interest towards the European institutions. We have already seen the growing importance of responsibility for waste management planning in preventing health and environmental risks. We also see growing diversity of the waste sector. All this will have the result that the need for governance at a local, national and global level will be greater than ever.
Municipal Waste Europe can be contacted through www.municipalwasteeurope.eu
Interviewer for the International Solid Waste Association, Helena Bergman, ISWA Project Manager
e-mail: hb@iswa.org
