Waste Collection in Arnhem Hits Reverse

January 2014 marked the launch of the 'Reverse Waste Collection' system by the municipality of Arnhem in three city districts. The philosophy underlying this system is to make it easier for residents to offer separated waste and make it more difficult to dispose of residual waste. One year on, has it worked? By Miranda Koffijberg In 2013 45% of the municipal waste collected in Arnhem was source separated recyclables. With the Netherlands national requirement that 65% of municipal waste collected in 2015 be source separated recyclables, Arnhem needed to up its game. The municipality's answer to this challenge? The Reverse Waste Collection initiative, which places the emphasis on the citizens themselves and offers no doorstep collection for residual waste. In the three districts in which it has been implemented it has been extremely successful. Less than a year after the system was launched residents offered 70% more paper and 220% more plastic packaging as separated waste. Initial challenges Aware that it would require residents to actually adapt their behaviour - "that's going to be quite a challenge," was Geert Boonzaaijer, senior project leader at the municipality of Arnhem's first thought about launching the Reverse Waste Collection initiative. Under the new system residents are no longer permitted put out their residual waste on their doorstep but are required to take it to an underground container in the neighbourhood, whereas separated waste, such as paper, plastic packaging, plus fruit, vegetable and garden waste, is in still collected door-to-door. Somewehat to Boonzaaijer's surprise, the system soon proved to work well everywhere. "We achieved almost all targets we had set for all districts within just six months," he says. Two tier system The Reversed Waste Collection system works as follows. The residents of the low-rise districts received three mini containers for recyclable waste, such as plastic packaging, paper and carton, and fruit, vegetable and garden waste, which are emptied on their doorstep. The residents take residual waste to an underground container in the district located at a walking distance of around 100m to 150m, which is opened with a special waste pass. Residents may dispose of residual waste free of charge, and can do so as often as they wish. The residents of the high-rise district also take their residual waste to the underground containers – in fact the majority were already doing so. However, a number of these residents now need to walk a slightly further, particularly if they used to have an indoor container. A new aspect is that they now also take paper and plastic packaging to underground containers installed at logical areas in the district and emptied weekly. The residents of the high-rise district can obtain a small green bucket or city bin in which to offer fruit, vegetable and garden waste separately. "A new aspect for residents is that they now also use underground containers in the neighbourhood for disposing of raw materials," explains Boonzaaijer. "This makes it easier to separate waste as they can offer it any time they wish. That's a good thing not only if you're living in a flat with limited space but also for getting rid of the garbage bag containing plastic packaging before it starts to smell.' Monitoring To consistently monitor progress during the project, Arnhem set up an extensive monitoring programme at launch. The volumes of separated waste and raw materials collected are weighed per district after each collection round. The composition of the residual waste was examined thrice - before, during and after the end of the initial year. Additionally, the municipality monitors household waste behaviour based on a chip inserted into all mini containers, and introduced a waste pass which residents use to open the residual waste containers. The municipality therefore knows how often the containers are used, enabling it to respond accordingly. If residents make relatively little use of the mini containers for plastic waste, for instance, the municipality can provide more information on that topic. It also charts the impact on the quality of the outdoor space. There were prior concerns about whether the new system would result in an accumulation of garbage bags next to the underground containers. An external agency therefore monitors twice a week whether, and how much waste is located next to the containers. Finally, resident satisfaction with Reverse Waste Collection was monitored on the basis of three surveys held at different junctures. In just a few months positive results were achieved everywhere, including in the high-rise and focus districts. The figures recorded within ten months after launch show that the amount of paper and plastic packaging material offered as separate waste had risen substantially (see table 1). The sorting analyses show that the amount of residual waste declined by an average of 23% (from 264 kg to 204 kg per resident) and that its composition differed to that of the waste previously collected. Good results have also been achieved in respect of the quality of the outdoor space. In 95% of cases no waste or just the occasional piece of litter was found lying next to the containers. The survey conducted among residents eight months after the system was introduced likewise reflected positive results. The residents indicated that they were quite satisfied with the collection of paper and plastic packaging, but were less satisfied with having to take residual waste to the underground containers. "The results are in line with the philosophy underlying the collection method, which is that offering waste separately is easier than having to take residual waste to underground containers," commented Boonzaaijer. The Secret of Success What are the reasons behind the success of the system to date? First and foremost the project leader highlights the thorough preparations made over the course of 18 months. "The success of this project hinges on residents' cooperation. For this reason we put substantial effort into communication," Boonzaaijer notes. Prior to actually launching the new waste collection method, the municipality provided the residents detailed information about the imminent changes. They sent the residents newsletters, set up a website, installed notice boards in each district and organised evening walk-in sessions. Residents were also invited to contribute ideas about locations for the underground containers in each district. "That took up quite some time," says Boonzaaijer. "Many people kept a critical eye on the proceedings because they weren't keen on having an underground container installed on their doorstep. We carefully examined all the objections made against the intended locations and ultimately opted for a different location in a number of cases." Waste coaches' experience 'We have noticed that residents keep a close eye on their own street. We actually see very little street litter near the containers. The great thing is that we've received a lot of positive reactions from the elderly. They now feel much safer with us walking around in their area.' Hanneke, waste coach Waste coaches Arnhem used a unique phenomenon in its communications with location residents - ‘waste coaches'. Waste coaches are people with limited chances on the labour market who have been trained to provide residents information about waste separation. They answer residents' questions and call to account people who demonstrate inappropriate waste separation behaviour. They also have an antenna function. If they note that garbage bags have been placed next to the underground containers or identify other problems, they have a short communication line with the waste collection company SITA, as well as with the municipality's Enforcement department. "The waste coaches can be found in the district every day, including evenings and weekends," explains Boonzaaijer. "They have grown to become familiar faces in the district and chat with the locals, which is appreciated. They have played an important role in the success of the Reverse Waste Collection initiative." Implementation across the city In April 2015 the municipal council will evaluate the results and decide whether to roll out the Reverse Waste Collection system across the city. Clearly the costs and benefits will be factored into the equation. "The implementation of the Reverse Waste Collection system requires a substantial investment in areas such as the supply of mini and underground containers," says Boonzaaijer. "Nonetheless the net costs will ultimately be lower than those of the old waste collection system. It will cost us considerably less to process residual waste, and plastic packaging and paper will actually generate returnss," he adds. "We'll never be able to make a profit because of the waste collection and processing costs," Boonzaaijer concludes. "But our goal is to reduce costs and obviously to recycle materials which can be used as raw materials for other products." However, in view of all the positive results recorded to date, Boonzaaijer is confident that the municipality will decide in favour of the system. Miranda Koffijberg is an environmental journalist For more information go to www.arnhem.nl/rewaco or contact Geert Boonzaaijer, Reversed Waste Collection project leader email:geert.boonzaaijer@arnhem.nl Going Dutch All Dutch municipalities are required to ensure that 65% of domestic waste is collected as separate waste streams in 2015. In 2013 Arnhem recorded a figure of only 45%. The municipality decided to increase this percentage by introducing a system called Reverse Waste Collection, developed by ROVA, a Dutch public service provider. The municipality wanted the new waste collection method to work successfully across the city. It therefore initiated the project not just in a relatively easy low-rise district, but also in a high-rise district and a focus neighbourhood, covering some 8000 households. The municipality had barely any experience in Reverse Waste Collection, let alone on this scale. Arnhem received a subsidy from the European Union Life+ Fund for launching the new collection scheme. Residents' Experience "At first I had to get used to the system. Throwing everything into one garbage bag was simply a routine. Since I've been using the Reverse Waste Collection method, I can now see just how much waste I actually have. By separating waste, I don't have that much residual waste any more. I used to fill several garbage bags each week. Nowadays I only take one small garbage bag of residual waste at the most to the waste container each week," comments Ronnie van Woerkom, resident. Younger residents in particular expressed concerns about the senior residents in their neighbourhood's ability to cope with the demands of the new system . Would they be able to manage to walk down the road with a garbage bag? This has hardly proven to be an issue in practice. The elderly do not mind walking a short distance, or receive assistance from their family, friends and neighbours. 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