Public Responsibility and Resource-Efficiency 27 September 2012 Economic and Social Committee Erik de Baedts President

Municipal Waste Europe Our members are national public waste associations: EU Municipalities and their public waste management companies 14 Member States They serve over 60% and up to 95% of their national population

A brief introduction to our members One of the key issues for European municipalities is the delivery on their responsibility for municipal waste management as it is a service of general interest. Throughout Europe, municipalities are responsible for the recovery of resources from European households.

A brief introduction to our members The members of Municipal Waste Europe therefore play a pivotal role in driving Europe to becoming more resource-efficient. In effect, the members of Municipal Waste Europe are the bridge between the actors in resource efficiency, the citizens and thus the public.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Lund, Sweden

Naples, Italy

Waste Management Service of general interest = Public responsibility Local authority has the expertise and responsibility

Producers Responsibility

Recycling society and economy including Producers Responsibility waste Consumer / citizen Producer Recycling Disposal Purchase products Reuse of resources resource

Global situation Production, consumption and…

Global situation Production, consumption and… waste!

The end of our current production process 90% landfilling in Asia & Africa 15 Health Hygiene Environment, Climate Social Responsibility => Not sustainable

Scarce resources De Afvalbranche is de ‘bewaker’ van de waarde van hulpbronnen en materialen: Hoe kan deze rol het beste ingevuld worden?

Who pays the bill?!

Direct Access Europe and the European Economic Area today have an estimated million citizens Over 67% are currently represented by Municipal Waste Europe at European level European citizens are aware of recycling on the whole Their first point of reference for any questions on their waste collection and treatment is their municipality Responding to citizens’ requests, municipalities are working on increasing transparency on waste treatments

Responsibility For historical reasons and organisational purposes, public institutions are responsible for the safeguarding of their populations’ health through hygiene Amongst others, this gives them the responsibility for municipal waste management Municipal Waste Europe members implement this responsibility either through their own direct investment or by outsourcing the task to private waste management companies.

Freedom of Choice This Freedom of choice is paramount to a Member State’s ability to manage its own finances and to choose its own organisational style The European Union is there to set minimum standards, to promote exchange of knowledge, to protect citizens’ rights, to promote sustainability Europe and European Directives do not prescribe HOW every responsibility must be implemented, as every culture is different and must be respected for the way they chose to achieve the set goals

MWE is the voice of the public sector waste management MWE is the most natural dialogue partner for EC, EP & Council regarding waste MWE brings real experience and know how from a local executive level MWE connects EU with local governmental bodies Conclusion

I will leave you with these thoughts, as an opening to what I trust will be a lively discussion on the links between Public Responsibility and Resource Efficiency

THANK YOU FOR YOR ATTENTION