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26 March 2018

Assessment of waste collection systems and identification of good practices discussed in Treviso

Treviso, Italy – The European Horizon 2020 project COLLECTORS officially kicked off during a three-day event hosted by Contarina – the public waste management company of the province of Treviso. From 20 to 22 March 2018, the project consortium met for the first time and consulted external experts regarding good practices in waste collection for paper and packaging waste, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), and construction and demolition waste. A public conference and site visits to the waste management facilities of Contarina, one of the front runners for municipal waste collection in Europe, were also included..

First steps toward the identification of good practices

The consortium meeting focused on the first step of the project, namely the selection of key parameters which will be used as a basis for the inventory of waste collection systems in Europe. In the following months a detailed mapping of around 300 waste collection systems will be performed, in order to select twelve case studies of special interest.

These key parameters were discussed by the consortium, and then by members of COLLECTORS Regional Working Group, composed of 10 experts from various European local and regional authorities: Southern Region Waste Management Office (Ireland), City of Oslo (Norway), City of Antwerp (Belgium), AMIU (Genoa, Italy), City of Amsterdam (Netherlands), Agència de Residus de Catalunya (Spain), Lipor (Porto, Portugal), Contarina SpA (Province of Treviso, Italy), City of Warsaw (Poland), and HSY (Helsinki, Finland). Discussions focused on the availability of data, but also on the relevant indicators for documenting collection systems. These parameters were also reviewed by two experts from OVAM, the Public Waste Agency of Flanders, and from REPIC, the largest WEEE producer compliance scheme in the UK.

In parallel, a focus group bringing together several inhabitants helped collecting feedback from citizens on waste collection.

How to overcome local challenges?

On the third day of the meeting, a public conference was organised, focusing on how to adapt best practices for waste collection to local constraints. In particular, the Regional Working Group members shared their challenges and good practices during two round tables. The first one focused on how waste collection systems are adapted to local constraints such as high density, while the second one presented how local instruments (such as collection modes or communication) have to be reshaped when recycling rates are stagnating.

The participants then joined a tour of several waste management facilities run by Contarina. These included a treatment plant for residual waste, separation plant for packaging materials and an innovative treatment plant for Absorbent Hygiene Products.

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The COLLECTORS project aims to identify and highlight existing good practices of waste collection and sorting in relation to three waste streams: paper and packaging waste, waste electrical and electronic equipment, and construction and demolition waste. COLLECTORS brings together nine partners including consultancies, networks, universities and research institutes.

In addition, the COLLECTORS project will work with external stakeholders to ensure a participatory approach, to validate project activities and results, and to ensure the relevance of project outputs: local and regional authorities managing waste, citizens, and other stakeholders of the recycling value chain.

CONTACT

Jean-Benoît Bel
ACR+
jbb@acrplus.org