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Reversed Waste Collection (LIFE ReWaCo)
Start date: Jul 1, 2013, End date: Jul 31, 2016 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Background As the EU has become wealthier, it has produced more and more waste. Every year 3 billion tonnes of waste are disposed, of which 90 million tonnes are hazardous waste. Treating and disposing all this material, without causing environmental damage, poses a great challenge. Currently, most waste is combusted in incinerators or processed in landfills (67%), resulting in air, water and soil pollution and the emission of greenhouse gases. Such waste not only contributes to climate change but it also represents a significant loss of raw materials. According to the OECD, in 2020, 45% more waste will be produced in comparison with 1995 levels. To avoid this occurring, more efforts need to be made to reuse or recycle materials. Objectives The main objective of the project is to demonstrate a new, more efficient and cost-effective waste collection system - reversed waste collection - in three different neighbourhoods of Arnhem. By offering a series of incentives to the local population, the reversed waste collection system id designed to encourage people to separate valuable household waste. In order to recover more materials (resources), the service level for households in low-rise buildings will be increased. For inhabitants it will become easier to dispose of such resources (e.g. paper, plastics and organic kitchen and garden waste). These will be collected at their doorsteps. At the same time, large quantities of residual waste will be discouraged: waste has to be brought to underground waste collection system. The system will be implemented in three areas: a low-income neighbourhood, classified as an area to be developed by the Dutch government; a mixed neighbourhood with both low-rise and high-rise buildings; and a neighbourhood with only low-rise buildings. Expected results: The projects expects to implement an appropriate and effective reversed waste collection system in three different neighbourhoods of Arnhem, which will serve as a best practice example for other EU municipalities. This system will increase the amount of recycled resources in a cost-efficient way, achieving the following targets: For low-rise habitations: collected waste to increase by the following amounts (kg/inhabitatant/yr) within two years of implementation of the scheme: plastic (5.0 to 24.3); paper (42.8 to 75.8); organic waste (60.0 to 65.0); For low-rise habitations: residual waste to decrease from 247.0 to 176.7 kg/inhabitatant/yr; For high-rise habitations: collected waste to increase by the following amounts (kg/inhabitatant/yr) within two years of implementation of the scheme: plastic (5.0 to 7.0); paper (42.8 to 47.8); and A decrease in emissions of 1 500 tonnes CO2/yr for an area with 20 000 inhabitants. The project will seek to develop improved systems for collecting waste in high-rise buildings in order to exceed this target.
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