ACR+ shares insights on underground containers at a conference on municipal waste collection

ACR+ presented its recent study on underground containers during the biennal conference on municipal waste collection of COPIDEC, the Walloon federation of intercommunal waste authorities. The presentation included an overview of collection modes across Europe and highlighted the impact of underground containers on costs, performances, and social acceptance. 

The conference, taking place in a context where local waste authorities must reach stricter requirements with decreasing resources, brought together speakers from across Europe: the municipality of Zoetermeer (NL) reflected on its 30-year experience with underground containers in a context of rapid urbanization. The city of Alba (IT) presented how the shift from open street containers to door-to-door collection led to a sharp increase of sorting performances while reducing the costs. SMICVAL, a French intercommunal waste authority close to the city of Bordeaux, explained their IMPACT strategy aims to reduce collection costs with the use of bring banks and the end of garden waste collection, but also promotes prevention through eco-consumption and re-use in their civic amenity sites.  

During a roundtable, the different speakers – including ACR+ – engaged with the audience on various aspects such as costs or citizen engagements. Speakers agreed on the limit of technology to address the current challenges of waste management, and the need for the right combination of communicative and incentivising instruments to reach the upcoming EU targets for municipal waste recycling. They also discussed the limitation of waste management to reach circularity and carbon neutrality, and the needs for more eco-design to increase the lifespan, reusability, and recyclability of products and waste.  

View the presentations: www.copidec.be