Integrated Solid Waste Management in Germany

A planning instrument for sustainable waste management

Overview

Solid waste management is one of the most important and visible services that municipalities provide for their citizens. Key to the successful accomplishment of this task is the development of an integrated framework that allows all the relevant aspects to be harmonised. An Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) framework is a tool for planning and updating activities to manage solid waste. Most municipalities in Germany have been obliged to draw up a waste management framework or master plan for twenty years.

Background

Many different actors and aspects need to be taken into account in appropriate ways in order to organise solid waste management on an economically and environmentally sustainable basis. The ISWM approach identifies three levels that need to be taken into account when developing the framework:

  • Different interest groups (e.g. local public agencies, citizens, private businesses, associations, citizens' initiatives)
  • Technical aspects of solid waste management and recycling (e.g. waste separation and collection, transport, waste avoidance, re-use, recovery of raw materials, recycling, treatment and disposal)
  • Frameworks and overarching aspects (e.g. legal, financial and policy frameworks, environmental and health protection, economic and social-cultural aspects).

Here we need to remember that there is no standard procedure for all municipalities. The solid waste management system will vary from municipality to municipality, depending on the particular local context.

Objectives

A municipality will define the specific objectives when developing its solid waste management plan in dialogue and negotiation with the various interest groups. As well as local councillors and administrators, this will also include citizens, and municipal waste management and recycling companies. Initiatives and NGOs may also play a role.

Integrated solid waste management pursues several overall goals. It aims to solve existing solid waste management problems. It also aims to organise solid waste management and recycling on a cost-efficient, environmentally friendly and socially sound basis. To ensure that the system works, citizens should support it.

Finally, ISWM aims to develop stable organisational structures, create jobs in recovery and recycling loops, and promote economic development.

Activities

The planning process for developing an integrated solid waste management framework can be divided into five phases. The first step involves identifying any solid waste management problems and defining the objectives together with all the relevant actors.

A second step involves analysing the local conditions in detail and collecting relevant data (analysis of the current status). Key data include for instance information on the quantity and composition of waste, on large waste producers in the municipality, on the methods of waste collection and transport, and on the existing infrastructure, i.e. landfills and recovery and recycling plants.

The next step is to draw up a forecast of the future trend in volumes of waste over the next ten years (target status). In particular, this involves studying the factors influencing this trend. These include e.g. population growth, economic development, consumer behaviour and changes in legal frameworks.

Based on this analysis a draft framework is prepared and an action plan drawn up that contains specific steps for implementation. These can include e.g. measures for waste avoidance, recycling and in some cases the construction of new waste treatment plants. Also important are organisation-specific measures, such as measures for regional cooperation. The action plan should indicate whether the services are to be provided by private enterprises or by the municipality. A key role is also played by public awareness-raising measures that can encourage environmentally sound behaviour and improve the separation of waste.

Finally, the framework and the action plan should be approved by the municipal council in order to secure the necessary political support. During each step in the planning process it is important to consult relevant stakeholders such as residents and private enterprises (e.g. within the scope of a workshop or advisory committee), in order to include their perspectives and expertise and increase their acceptance of implementation. This also enables stakeholders to experience local democracy for themselves.  

Drawing up a solid waste management framework usually involves a great deal of work and high costs. In Germany municipalities finance this themselves. It is not advisable to commission an external service provider to draw up the framework, unless the provider is able to take into account the local circumstances and particularities. On the other hand it is worthwhile to finance training for municipal employees that will enable them to draw up and update a framework. This can perhaps be organised in cooperation with other municipalities.

Effects

Once in place, a well-planned solid waste management framework will help in managing waste management challenges effectively and efficiently. It will lead to greater planning certainty and make the system more financially sustainable, because it will deliver data on waste flows, recycling and waste disposal, as well as the associated costs, and include this information in an action plan with a defined time frame.

Involving citizens and obtaining political support in the form of a council resolution makes decisions easier to understand. Implementation of the framework will then receive stronger public support.

Finally, an ISWM framework makes regulations in the waste sector more legally binding, because it incorporates legal regulations such as environmental legislation and measures for its implementation.

Conclusions

An ISWM framework will often run smoothly when the following conditions have successfully been met. The citizens concerned are well informed and are actively involved in implementation. Financial sustainability is guaranteed by keeping costs low and ensuring that the system breaks even as far as possible. Municipalities should possess sufficient managerial capacities and expertise. This is all the more important when waste management tasks are to be performed by private-sector actors.

Key preconditions include clear rules and targets, transparent fee structures and decision-making, as well as meaningful data on the quantity and composition of waste. Finally, waste management should be seen as a process. Frameworks and targets must constantly be reviewed and aligned with real developments.

weitere Information

Information provided by the BMZ on the approaches of German development cooperation in the waste management and recycling sector

http://www.bmz.de/de/themen/abfall/index.html (German)

http://www.bmz.de/en/issues/abfall/index.html?follow=adword(English)  

Information portal on waste issues in development cooperation, funded into alia by UNDP and Dutch Development Cooperation.  

http://wasteportal.net/en/waste-aspects/integrated-sustainable-waste-management-iswm

Published: 03/01/2018

Kontakt

Gabi Schock

Councillor, City of Krefeld

Hagerweg 26

47798 Krefeld

Germany

Categories: Municipal services Solid waste management and recycling
Regions: Europe Germany

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