Sustainable Waste, Materials & Soil Management in
Flanders World Expo 2010 Shanghai

On 1 May 2010, the World Expo opened its doors in Shanghai under the slogan "Better City, Better Life". One of the key elements in the pursuit of a "Better City, Better Life" is improving the quality of the environment in urban areas.

Belgium, too, takes part in this Expo and with a view to the upcoming Belgian EU presidency, it shares its pavilion with the European Union.

Already in May of this year, the World Expo had attracted some 10 million visitors.

From 26 to 31 May, Flanders - itself a densely populated and highly industrialised region - organised a Flemish Environment Week in the Belgian pavilion. Within that frame, on 27 May the Public Waste Agency of Flanders (OVAM) hosted a one-day seminar on Sustainable Waste, Material and Soil Management in Flanders.

The purpose of this seminar was to share experiences and expertise regarding the Flemish waste, material and soil management policy and regulations.

Today, Flanders' waste management policy and systems are among the most successful in Europe. As much as 72% of all household waste in Flanders is collected separately at the source in order to be reused, recycled or composted (Flemish waste policy: From landfilling to eco-design).

As Flanders also started out at the bottom of the waste treatment hierarchy, it is important to briefly outline the Flemish landfill policy. The approach of the Intermunicipal Company 'Hooge Maey' to the clean-up and sustainable operation of the 'Hooge Maey' landfill with a minimal impact on the environment, serves as an interesting example in this context (Sustainable Landfilling). Now, we proceed with the next step in the waste treatment hierarchy, namely the thermal processing of domestic and industrial waste with maximum recovery of energy and materials (Waste to Energy).

The following step in the waste treatment hierarchy is the maximum recycling of waste materials. As primary raw materials are becoming ever more scarce, the ultimate goal is to close the material loops and to become a recycling society where discarded products are reused and recycled to replace primary raw materials (The art of Recycling).

The last step in the waste treatment hierarchy is waste prevention by implementing eco-friendly measures including cleaner products, eco-efficiency and eco-design, in short by introducing Eco Innovation. Within that frame, the Public Waste Agency of Flanders has developed a unique eco-design tool called the Ecolizer 2.0. Jaga, a Flemish producer of innovative design radiators, has succeeded in introducing new products onto the market which cleverly combine innovation and the environment. In doing so, Jaga uses the Ecolizer to assess the environmental impact of its new products (Eco-design).

Besides waste and material management, Flanders also implements one of the most progressive legislations on soil remediation in Europe. Starting in 1996, the Soil Decree provides Flanders with a powerful instrument to tackle historical soil pollution and to prevent and remediate new soil pollution (The Contaminated Land Policy in Flanders and Practical Examples).