REthinkWASTE

The main objective of REthinkWASTE is to provide public authorities with a plug and play model based on the pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) and know-as-you-throw (KAYT) paradigm.

Project funded by the European Commission under the LIFE programme, 2019 - 2022.

Highlights

The REthinkWASTE project is entering its capacity building phase which aims to mainstream the REthinkWASTE paradigm based on a modular and flexible approach of KAYT / PAYT / traditional taxes across a large target group of local public administrations and other governance bodies that are still using the "traditional" fixed fares. In order to allow key stakeholders to benefit from training activities, a call for expression of interest is open.

THE PROJECT

THE PROJECT

The goal is to increase separate collection of waste, reduce residual waste per capita and boost the recovery rate, whilst simultaneously cutting the average household waste bill. This will be pursued by adapting waste management plans and addressing other drivers (e.g. regulation, financial plans, waste management service contracts), based on a combined approach of PAYT and KAYT.

The projects specific objectives are to test the concept of KAYT in four local systems (in 51 municipalities in central Veneto managed by Etra, in Sant Just, Spain, and in Bitetto and Varese, Italy) side by side with the PAYT approach. Also, it aims to incorporate the PAYT and KAYT paradigm within the municipal waste management regulations of the four pilot sites, with the final goal of reducing the yearly quantity of unsorted waste produced and increasing the tariff spread between virtuous and underperforming citizens. To finish, the project will provide about 230 municipalities in the EU with customisable waste strategies, service schemes and business plans to trigger a change in mindset among policy-makers and civil officials, which will, in turn, spark a shift from a traditional tariff system to a variable one (PAYT) combined with a pioneering persuasion approach (KAYT).

ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITIES

ACR+ will contribute to find synergies with other EU funded projects and capitalize from experiences from its network, in order to properly set the state of the art about PAYT/KAYT schemes. ACR+ will then involve some of the local authorities among the members to test the decision support system (DSS) which will have been developed as part of the project activities. Furthermore, ACR+ will coordinate the setting up of a toolkit composed by 6 modules and tutorials that will be implemented to coach at least 50 municipalities in 5 EU regions (mainly in Mediterranean and South-East Europe). The project dissemination will be also in the focus: on top of regular communication activities, ACR+ will organize a media forum and the project final conference (both events will take place in Brussels).

PAYT and KAYT Catalogue

PAYT and KAYT Catalogue

Looking for examples of differentiated taxation or awareness raising models to improve separate waste collection and reduce waste? LIFE Rethink Waste published a compilation of a dozen recent practices in pay as you throw and know as you throw, using taxation, information, and technology to improve waste performances. It covers cities from six countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and The Netherlands), ranging from municipalities with a few thousand inhabitants like Argentona (ES) and Miglianico (IT) to medium-sized cities like Parma and Bergamo (IT,) and to European metropoles like Berlin (DE). A set of nine cluster projects accompany the description of these experiences to frame them in a broader context.

Browse the catalogue

The source of inspiration for this collection was a workshop organised by ACR+ for the project in February 2020. The event gathered experts from different European countries, who discussed how the cities and towns in their regions were able to incentivise residents to separate their waste more and to prevent waste. They concluded that, so far, PAYT has not managed to completely solve the inherent injustice of taxation, because certain communities like newcomers to cities continue to be disadvantaged; that the environmental benefits of PAYT and increased rates of separate collection need to be well and frequently communicated to residents for PAYT to work; that, in some cases, PAYT and KAYT are schemes that can pay for themselves; and that the social, environmental, and economic benefits of these schemes are very closely interlinked.

PARTNERS INVOLVED

PARTNERS INVOLVED

REthinkWASTE’s project leader is ETRA, Energia Territorio Risorse Ambientali (IT), and its project partners are:

ACR+, Association of Cities and Regions for sustainable Resource management (BE)
Bitetto, Municipality of Bitetto (IT)
Sant Just Desvern, Municipality of Sant Just Desvern (ES)
Varese, Municipality of Varese, Lombardia (IT)
ARC*, Agència de Residus de Catalunya (ES)
ATA, Assemblea Territoriale d'Ambito ATO2 Ancona (IT)
IFEL, Istituto per la Finanza e l'Economia Locale (IT)
ARS, ARS Ambiente Srl (IT)
0 LCA, 2.-0 LCA consultants ApS (DK)
ARPAV, Agenzia Regionale per la Prevenzione e Protezione Ambientale del Veneto (IT)

*ACR+ member

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