Waste Prevention in France
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Waste Prevention in France 2011 STATUS REPORT Data and indicators Table of Contents Editorial by Daniel Béguin, Director for Sustainable Consumption and Waste Management, ADEME 3 Background 4 Some facts and figures 5 Raising awareness of waste prevention 9 Current events in Europe 11 1 Roadmap for a resource-efficient economy 1 European Parliament Resolution on food wastage 1 “Generation Awake”: increasing consumer responsibility 3 questions for… Bruno Maresca, Director of Research, CREDOC 13 Prevention plans and programmes in 2011 14 Encouraging prevention 16 1 Réduisons vite nos déchets, ça déborde (Let’s cut waste – the bin is overflowing) campaign results are once again very positive 1 EWWR continues to break records 1 A conference for the dissemination of good practices Focus on… 18 1 2011: solid advances for environmental labelling 1 “Pay as you throw” incentives are gaining ground 1 Distribution in bulk: a developing practice in need of an environmental assessment 1 25 proposals for sustainable consumption 1 Single-use carrier sacks: more to be done in food markets and small shops 1 A toolbox for the construction and public works sector 1 A roadmap for ecodesign Action in the field 21 1 The Nar SMICTOM and the “Model Businesses” operation 1 Build cooperation and consolidate: the keywords for reducing food waste in school lunch rooms 1 Gobi: ecodesigned reusable bottle for the office 1 Qualitative and quantitative prevention of paint waste: win-win! 1 Local prevention programmes and “pay as you throw”: a win-win synergy in Sarrebourg 1 The Boréal scheme: how to better match field action to the terrain 1 In situ treatment of trench cuttings: an advantageous process 1 Ten years of “pay as you throw”, with positive results 1 The Schiltigheim maternity hospital chooses reusable nappies 1 Major consumer chains bet on bulk 1 Canon France resuscitates printing systems 1 Prevention – creating social ties between generations Definitions and acronyms 27 2 Editorial Daniel Béguin Director for Sustainable Consumption and Waste Management, ADEME In 2010 waste prevention plans and programmes were well under way. Could we say that 2011 was a year of confirmation? It’s true that local authorities made a particularly the general public respondents interviewed, and massive commitment in the course of this year, and 91% of business respondents, felt that the campaign now nearly 61% of the population is covered by had “incited them to take action”. More broadly, a prevention programme. That’s almost twice the these levers used by ADEME should be seen in the percentage of the preceding year! context of a strong and dynamic European policy And businesses are starting to follow the that has made waste reduction a top priority (see lead given by local authorities… pages 11-12). In recent years companies have decided to reduce Considerable work has been undertaken their waste, for several reasons. Waste policy to educate elected officials. Can you tell us provides incentives, and in some cases makes more about these efforts? waste minimisation mandatory via regulation. The education provided for elected officials is Companies want to cut certain costs, they want to designed to encourage them to get involved, a distinguish themselves or meet customer demand. factor of success for any prevention programme. And there is the influence of local authorities and This education: waste prevention plans and programmes. Large 1 fosters long-term implication, companies and SME-SMIs alike are interested in 1 waste prevention. The success of schemes like the helps the local authorities become models to one developed in the Nar waste district give ample be followed, in terms of their personnel as well evidence of this (see page 21). as the organisation of their services. The awareness module was dispensed to close to What are the means used by ADEME to 1,700 elected officials in 2011, and this action will accompany actors in the field? continue in 2012. Judging by the success of the ADEME deploys an array of supporting tools and module, it appears that elected officials are eager communication. At the heart of this array is the to tackle this issue! collaborative platform Optigede. The platform compiles tools based directly on the experience What is the key word for 2012? of companies and local authorities, and is updated If I had to give just one word, it would be EVALUATE. regularly, enabling technicians to exchange their Action plans have been implemented. Now we best practices. This engenders a significant economy need to accurately document their effects. Which of time and money for these actors. Another major partners take measures? Has waste tonnage pillar of our action is the “Let’s cut waste” campaign. evolved? What is the impact on costs? Even though This year companies and local authorities were these programmes are necessarily part of specifically targeted. We provided them with action for progress, it is only by looking at downloadable communication kits enriched with the results of the schemes carried out by new tools. 80% of users were satisfied, and the local authorities with their partners that we initiative gave rise to a high rate of recommendation. will be able to mobilise the different actors In a survey conducted in November 2011, 84% of over the long term. Table of contents 3 The national waste prevention plan The National Waste Prevention Plan, adopted in 2004, aims to make “the French as aware of prevention as they are of recycling”. The implementation of the plan has been guided since 2009 by a group under the National Waste Council that brings together representatives of central government administrations, local authorities, industrial companies, retail distributors, waste professionals, and consumer and environmental protection associations. This national plan is currently being revised to integrate the mandatory National Background Prevention Plan that EU Member States must adopt by 12 December 2013. At the European level of local waste plans and programmes or the The European regulatory framework defines introduction of “pay as you throw” (PAYT) waste prevention as all the measures taken systems. In parallel the law establishes for 2012 before a substance, material or product becomes an overall reduction objective of 15% for waste waste, when these measures contribute to sent to incinerators or landfill storage, so as to reducing at least one of the following: conserve resources and prevent pollution. 1 1 the amount of waste generated, including The law of 12 July 2010 (known as the Grenelle measures for reuse(1) and steps to extend the 2 legislation) makes it mandatory for local life span of substances, materials or products, authorities responsible for waste collection 1 and treatment to set up a local prevention the adverse impact of waste on the programme as from 1 January 2012. These environment and human health, schemes have a broader scope than under the 1 the content of substances that are harmful Grenelle 1 legislation, covering all household for the environment and human health in and similar waste, including occasional and materials or products. bulky waste. Pursuing the objective of decoupling waste 1 The regulatory texts pertaining to the generation from gross domestic product (GDP) application of the Grenelle 2 legislation and the by 2020, the Waste Framework Directive order of 17 December 2010 transposing the 2008/98/EC reinforced the priority given to Waste Framework Directive are contained in waste prevention since 1991. It is also stipulated the government decree of 11 July 2011. that waste prevention programmes must be set 1 The national reduction target for “routine” up by Member States within a period of five household and similar waste is stated in a note years. This directive was transposed into French issued in December 2011 by the Ministry law on 17 December 2010. for Ecology and Sustainable Development(3), specifying an average per capita reduction of At the national level 390 kg in 2008 and 362 kg in 2013. This note 1 The concept of prevention was introduced also contains the recommended conventions in the 1992 waste law in order to “prevent for calculating the reduction of household or reduce the generation and harmfulness waste at the local level. of waste, in particular by acting on product manufacture and distribution”. Management plans 1 The law enacted on 3 August 2009 (known include prevention as the Grenelle 1 legislation) confirms the With the Grenelle 2 legislation and the transposition of the priority accorded to waste prevention while European directive the local Plan for the Disposal of Total emphasising ecodesign for products, from Household and Similar Waste (Plan d’élimination des déchets ménagers et assimilés, PEDMA) has evolved to become a Plan for manufacturing to the end of the product's life. the Prevention and Management of Non-Hazardous Waste. This This law sets the objective of reducing per plan must, among others: capita production of “routine” household 1 compile a list of local prevention programmes for total household and similar waste, and similar waste (not including occasional 1 set quantitative and qualitative prevention objectives for the waste and bulky items) by 7% over the waste generated. (2) Plans applicable to construction and demolition waste and to next five years . To reach this goal the law hazardous waste also become prevention and management plans. proposes measures such as the generalisation Extraction Transport Sorting Recovery Manufacturing Distribution Purchases Reuse Collection Recycling Disposal Source reduction Responsible consumption Waste minimisation WASTE PREVENTION WASTE MANAGEMENT (1) Reuse: all operations by which substances, materials or products that are not waste are reused for a purpose identical to that for which they were originally designed. (2) See the Definitions section for detailed explanations of the waste categories and terminology used in France. 4 Table of contents (3) Commissariat Général au Développement Durable (CGDD), Le point sur… no.