Online selling has taken off. Unfortunately, companies that sell products directly from abroad to Flemish consumers do not always respect the rules of the Flemish materials legislation. ACR+ member OVAM reports a proposed change to VLAREMA (the Flemish regulation on sustainable management of material cycles and waste materials) to address this. Another amendment regulates the voluntary take-back of waste for reuse or recycling.

In the new proposal, online marketplaces are obliged to allow only suppliers on their platform who comply with Flemish rules on extended producer responsibility. This means that for certain products, producers are responsible for their collection and recycling once they have become waste. Another amendment to VLAREMA allows shops to take back waste voluntarily for reuse or recycling. However, this possibility is limited to those waste products that they sell themselves.

Source: www.ovam.be (in Flemish)